UK Minister Directly Challenges US Vice President on Murder Blame
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has revealed he contacted US Vice President JD Vance to directly dispute Vance’s assertion that an “invasion of migrants” in Europe was responsible for the murder of Henry Nowak. The 18-year-old was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa.
Vance had suggested that Nowak would still be alive if Europeans had “stood their ground” against “politics of self-hatred.” However, Lammy emphasized that the perpetrator, Vickrum Digwa, was a British national.
“This has got nothing to do with mass migration,” Lammy stated in an interview. “This young man (who killed Henry Nowak) was a Brit. Let’s be clear about that. And I said: ‘Look, Mr Vice President, you’re wrong about this.'”
Focus on Domestic Justice and Declining Crime
Lammy informed Vance that the UK’s democratic processes were functioning effectively, pointing to the conviction of the murderer and ongoing investigations into police conduct. The Attorney General is also reviewing the sentencing.
Furthermore, Lammy highlighted that murder rates in the United Kingdom are actually decreasing.
“So, we had an agreeable conversation, but we disagree,” Lammy commented on the exchange. He noted Vance’s “longstanding concern about what he calls Western values,” which Vance believes are under attack.
Family’s Plea for Unity Ignored by Vance Tweet
Downing Street previously criticized “outside actors” for attempting to “interfere in our democracy” and urged respect for the wishes of Nowak’s family. The family explicitly stated they did not want their son’s death to be exploited to create division.
Despite this plea, Vance posted a tweet on Friday that stated: “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilisation dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit. His murder is as tragic as it is enraging.”
Vance continued, “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.”
Lammy stated he urged Vance that “it’s not helpful to tweet in this way, partly because of what the Nowak family have asked for and reminded him about their desire not to make this an issue of division and hatred, but to make this an issue of common sense.”
Bodycam Footage and Sikh Exemption Review
Bodycam footage from the night of Nowak’s killing shows police handcuffing Digwa while he lay on the ground. Digwa repeatedly claimed he could not breathe, after his killer falsely alleged Nowak had been the victim of a racist attack. Nowak died shortly after.
When questioned about reviewing the carrying of blades for religious reasons, Lammy acknowledged exemptions for Sikhs but stressed these are a “privilege” that could be revoked if they “doesn’t command the full confidence of the public.”
The conversation between Lammy and Vance concluded amicably, with discussions about future meetings, despite their fundamental disagreement on the cause of Nowak’s death.
