UK government rebukes US VP Vance over student murder case comments

US Vice President JD Vance ignited a political firestorm by criticizing Britain's handling of the case of Henry Nowak, a white student murdered by a Sikh man. Vance took to social media platform X to declare that Nowak's death was "as tragic as it is outrageous." He framed the killing as a symptom of societal decline, stating, "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."

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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.

The office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer swiftly condemned the remarks, labeling them as interference in the UK's democracy. The Prime Minister's office also emphasized that Nowak's family had expressed a desire for his murder not to be exploited to promote "further division, hatred, or tension."

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His murder is as tragic as it is outrageous.

Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December. The perpetrator, a member of the Sikh community, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday. A video released during the trial showed police officers handcuffing the severely injured student instead of providing aid. He died shortly after on the ground, repeatedly gasping, "I can't breathe."

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people who seek to interfere in our democracy

The accused had claimed to police at the scene that he was the victim and had been racially abused as a Sikh. The officers' apparent belief in his account has caused widespread outrage in the UK, particularly among right-wing politicians who accused the police of discriminating against white individuals.

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I can't breathe