Downing Street hits out at 'people seeking to stir division' after Vance's Nowak post

Downing Street has strongly condemned "people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division" after U.S. Senator JD Vance made controversial remarks linking the murder of British student Henry Nowak to immigration. Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed in December by Vickrum Digwa. Vance, commenting on the incident via X, attributed the death to a "mass invasion of migrants" and declared that the "only response is righteous anger." This statement drew immediate criticism from the UK government. A spokesperson for Downing Street responded by stating that the Nowak family "have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division." The statement added, "Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country." Vance's post on X described Nowak's killing as "tragic as it is enraging," asserting that the student would still be alive if "the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants." His remarks echoed a U.S. State Department post that lamented "ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing" as symptoms of "civilizational decline." Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had earlier accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of "trying to whip up division" over Nowak's murder. Musk had posted on X, urging people to share a video showing Nowak's treatment by police in his final moments. Violent protests erupted in Southampton following the release of bodycam footage depicting police actions during Nowak's death. Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years for the murder. Political figures, including Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, have urged resistance against attempts to politicize Nowak's death and divide the country.

“

Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.