“ONLY love drives out fear,” the Bishop of Southampton, the Rt Revd Rhiannon King, said in a statement on Wednesday regarding the killing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in December and the subsequent unrest this week.
Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old British Sikh man, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder this week. Mr Nowak was stabbed five times, including a fatal wound to the chest.
The incident, which is being investigated by the policing watchdog — the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) — was caught on camera. Digwa falsely accused Mr Nowak, who was walking home, of a racially aggravated assault against him. Mr Nowak was handcuffed, forced to the ground, saying that he could not breathe. A police officer initially denied that Mr Nowak had been stabbed.
The case has sparked riots and a political debate.
“The terrible manner of Henry’s death raises questions that as a society we need to talk about,” Bishop King said. “These conversations need to happen with calm, openness, compassion and understanding. Responding to violence with violence, whether in action or speech, is never the answer — only love drives out fear.
“There are people of different faiths and no faith, people of courage and good will, all across our city who are committed to bringing about something better from these tragic events. Please stand with us, and please pray for our communities and for Henry’s family at this painful time.”
The Church’s lead bishops for Racial Justice, the Bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemarie Mallett, and the Bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt Revd Arun Arora, also released a statement which condemned the murder of Mr Nowak as “an act of evil” which was “accompanied by lies”.
“We deeply lament the loss of an innocent life and grieve alongside his family and all those who loved him,” they said. “This senseless killing was accompanied by lies that also made truth a victim.”
The Bishops agreed that there were “clearly questions about the manner” of Mr Nowak’s death. “We stand with the Bishop of Southampton in her call for a prayerful and peaceful response to recent events. For conversations to be held with compassion and understanding. For the rejection of violence. We especially join in the call to pray for Henry’s family and friends in their grief and devastation.”
On Tuesday, the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had suggested that the appropriate response from the public was “pure, cold rage”. Southampton has been the scene of violent protests against police.
In the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Farage repeated his claim that the incident was the result of “two-tier policing”, citing anti-racism guidance issued by police chiefs.
The Prime Minister, rejecting Mr Farage’s suggestion, said that politicians needed to respond to the case with “serious work, not rage”. Sir Keir Starmer said that he had been “shocked” by Mr Farage’s response to the case, and pointed out that Mr Nowak’s family had said that his death should not be used to whip up division in society.
“A grieving family have asked us not to respond in the way that the leader of Reform has responded,” Sir Keir told the House of Commons. “My response — and the response of others, to be fair — has focused on the lessons to be learned, so we can deliver justice. His response has been to appeal for rage. Rage — that’s his response to a father who’s lost his son and asked for that not to happen.
“Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances. But to do it when the family are expressly saying ‘Please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”
In a statement read outside court on Monday, Mr Nowak’s father, Mark, had said that his family wanted “Henry’s heartbreaking story to make change for the better.”
He continued: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred, or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone.”
On Wednesday, Bishop King visited the Sikh community in Southampton with colleagues from the Church of England and the Southampton Council of Faiths.
She said: “What happened back in December is a one-off knife crime - a horrific thing. It doesn’t reflect and it shouldn’t reflect badly at all on the Sikh community.”
She described the protests as “absolutely horrific” and said: “What you saw last night is not Southampton. Southampton is an amazing place full of amazing people and we have a reputation for centuries of welcoming people from all over the world and living very comfortably together.”
Dr Mallett and Bishop Arora also asked for prayers for the police and the Sikh Community in Southampton, both of whom were targeted in the “terrifying violence” that occurred on Tuesday evening. “We pray for all of those in Southampton and elsewhere who now live and work in greater fear of violence.”
The chief constable of Hampshire Police, Alexis Boon, apologised on Wednesday for the way in which Mr Nowak had been arrested and handcuffed after he was stabbed. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this,” he said to the family.
In the House of Lords, Baroness (Doreen) Lawrence, who has been campaigning for justice since the Metropolitan Police were accused of failing her murdered son, Stephen, in 1993, said: “My condolences goes out to Henry Nowak’s family. I think what’s happened with him should never have happened. And the police should be at fault for what happened on that night.”
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said that Mr Nowak’s death “must be a wake up call to the entire country and our institutions that every life matters”.
This story was updated on 4 June 2026 with further statements