A number of far-right activists were among hundreds who joined an angry protest over the murder of student Henry Nowak, which descended into violence.
Protesters hurled wheelie bins, chairs and bricks at police as a large group walked across town to the Portswood area of Southampton, with demonstrators chanting “Henry, Henry” and “I can’t breathe”, the words Mr Nowak, 18, repeatedly told police as he lay dying.
Police later confirmed that two arrests were made, and that 11 officers and one police dog were injured in the violence.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife, before telling police at the scene that he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox were amongst those who spoke to the crowd who gathered outside Southampton Central Police on Tuesday evening.
Addressing the crowd, Mr Robinson, said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race. Because he (Mr Nowak) was white he was handcuffed.
“Even after they found out he (Digwa) had stabbed him five times, they still didn’t handcuff him. A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Both men were also in attendance at the Unite the Kingdom rally in May, organised by Mr Robinson.
Eleven people were banned from entering the UK to take part in the march in London, with Sir Keir Starmer dubbing them “far-right agitators.”
Who are the hard-right figures at last night's Henry Nowak murder protest?
Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is one of the UK's most prominent far-right activists, who co-founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009.
He has become widely know for his counter-jihad activism, facing accusations of promoting Islamophobia in his activism surrounding grooming gangs.
Mr Robinson has multiple criminal convictions, including assault, fraud, and contempt of court. He also lost a high-profile libel case after making false allegations against a Syrian schoolboy, resulting in substantial damages.
He is the organiser of the Unite the Kingdom rallies, with over 110,000 people attending a march in central London in September 2025.
Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox is an actor, musician, politician and presenter who has become more widely known for his outspoken and often controversial views.
The 48-year-old comes from the Fox acting dynasty – his father is Bafta-winning actor James Fox, and his aunt and uncle, Joanna David and Edward Fox, are seasoned British theatre and cinema performers.
He has spoken out against “forced diversity” in films and television shows, and has often rallied against "woke culture" and "political correctness".
He became known as a prominent right-wing commentator around the time of the pandemic, attracting controversy for his views relating to Black Lives Matter, and his criticism of the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He became leader the of the Reclaim party in 2020, since when he has stood unsuccessfully to become London mayor in 2021 and to become an MP in 2023.
Nick Tenconi
Nick Tenconi is a British political activist who became leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in 2024.
He is known for his strong positions on immigration, national identity, Christianity, and cultural issues, having campaigned for much stricter immigration controls and mass deportations of illegal migrants.
He has described himself as a "huge fan" of Kyle Rittenhouse, a young American who shot and killed two people at a Black Lives Matter protest, which was later judged to be an act of self defence in court.
Mr Tenconi said that there are “no such things as pronouns” and that trans people were “something sinister”. He has also been accused of doing a Nazi salute in a video he shared on X, something he has strenuously denied.
