Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has said he rang JD Vance to tell him he was wrong to blame an “invasion of migrants” in Europe for the murder of Henry Nowak.
According to Independent, Lammy said he told US vice president that the tragedy had “nothing to do with mass migration” and reminded him that Nowak’s family has said they do not want his death to be used to create division.
This came after Vance on Friday, June 6, said the 18-year-old, who was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, would still be alive if Europeans “stood their ground” against “politics of self-hatred.”
Lammy told Sky News, “This has got nothing to do with mass migration. 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.’”
He said that he spoke to the vice president on Saturday to “emphasise a number of things.”
Downing Street has also hit out at Vance accusing him of “trying to interfere in our democracy” as it urged people to “respect the wishes” of the Nowak family.
Bodycam footage from the night Nowak was killed by Digwa shows police handcuffed him as he lay on the ground, despite his repeated pleas that he could not breathe, after his killer falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack. He died shortly after.
His death sparked riots in Southampton on Tuesday after an anti-police protest attended by far-right figures including Tommy Robinson and Lawrence Fox, leading to several officers being injured and multiple arrests.
