Vice President JD Vance has sharply criticized “European elites” for their backing of a “migrant invasion,” which he alleges is responsible for the tragic murder of British teenager Henry Nowak.
Nowak, 18, lost his life in December after being fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man wielding a ceremonial knife. Digwa falsely claimed to police that he was the victim of a racially motivated assault by Nowak.
Recently released footage from police body cameras reveals the harrowing moments when Nowak was handcuffed as he desperately pleaded for medical help, informing officers that he had been stabbed.
One officer is heard responding to the distressed teenager, saying, “I don’t think you have, mate.”
Tragically, by the time police recognized their error and began to provide medical assistance, it was too late to save Nowak.
In a post on X on Friday, Vance commented, “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit.”
‘He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it,’ he added.
Vance wrote that the only response to such an incident ‘is righteous anger,’ adding that nobody ‘should ever die the way that Henry Nowak died.’
Vice President JD Vance penned a scathing statement slamming ‘European elites’ and ‘the mass invasion of migrants’ for the horrific death of UK teen Henry Nowak, who was stabbed before being handcuffed by authorities – later leading to his passing
Henry Nowak, 18, who was murdered by Vickrum Digwa, 23. The State Department slammed the UK’s ‘two-tiered policing system’ in a statement released on Thursday
Body camera footage from the scene shows police handcuffing Mr Nowak as he bled out
Vance’s comments echo those of Reform UK Party leader Nigel Farage, who demanded that people should respond to the footage with ‘pure, cold rage.’
UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer quickly condemned Farage’s comments, saying that he was ‘shocked’ by the rhetoric.
‘A grieving family have asked us not to respond in the way that the leader of Reform has responded,’ Starmer said.
‘His [Farage’s] 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,’ said the PM.
Vance’s full-throated condemnation comes after the Trump administration broke its silence on the horrific case that has has sparked uproar in the UK with thousands of protesters taking to the streets.
The State Department said in a statement: ‘Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West.’
‘The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.’
Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life in prison on June 1, 2026, over the killing of Henry Nowak
The ceremonial Sikh knife used on Henry by Digwa
Nowak with his father, who gave a statement outside court after Digwa’s sentencing
The stomach-churning body camera footage shows Nowak pleading with authorities to help him, stating nine times he could not breathe and four times that he had been stabbed.
Starmer has repeatedly denounced anyone speaking out about the tragedy, including UK lawmakers and even Elon Musk.
The PM has accused Musk of ‘trying to whip up division’ in Britain over the murder.
Musk has repeatedly posted about the tragedy in the past week.
‘Send the video to everyone you know showing how heinously Nowak was treated by the police in his dying moments and how the police cravenly kowtowed to his murderer,’ Musk wrote on Tuesday.
‘Legacy mainstream media, same ones who wrote about George Floyd millions of times, are dead silent about Nowak.’
Conservative figures in the UK argue that the murder is proof that police in Britain treat white people and ethnic minorities differently.
Vance’s and the State Department’s statements, citing the country’s ‘two-tiered policing,’ falls in line with those domestic criticisms.