Amnesty International UK condemned the conversation surrounding the murder of Henry Nowak during which Nigel Farage and others have said that the incident exemplifies two-tier policing in the UK under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership that was brought forth after the death of George floyd.
The international group said calls for anger and claims of unfair policing risk inflaming tensions. These comments are a far cry from their full-throated response to the death of Floyd in police custody in 2020.
In a statement issued by the organization, Amnesty criticized references to “cold, hard rage” by Farage in response to the case, calling the language “completely reckless."
"At a time when hate crimes are rising, and violence and fear are becoming a daily reality for people of colour and migrants, calls for ‘cold, hard rage’ are completely reckless," an Amnesty International UK spokesperson said.
“Henry Nowak’s murder is an awful tragedy and his family have said ‘we do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension’. The very least politicians can do is respect that,” the statement added.
Amnesty rejected the notion of “two-tier policing," saying "irresponsible narratives of two-tier policing seek to sow division and fly in the face of decades of evidence of institutional failure within policing and disparities faced by racialised communities."
Nigel Farage pointed out in the House of Commons that anti-racism policy in the police force encouraged differential treatment of ethnic groups in policing guidance. Farage said the policy is “clear and written down in ink” and claimed police officers “must treat different ethnic groups in different ways,” referring to the Police Race Action Plan and its guidance on “policing outcomes.”
Farage made the point after police body cam footage showed officers prioritizing the word of Nowak's killer, Vickrum Digwa, who claimed that Nowak had racially abused him. Digwa was asked by police if he was injured, to which he said that he had a small bruise above his eye, which was not visible. Digwa claimed that Nowak had pulled off his brother's turban. All of Digwa's claims were proven untrue in court. Later in the police footage, officers go over to Nowak, who is asking for assistance. Nowak tells the officer that he has been stabbed, to which the officer says "don't think you have, mate." He then informs Nowak that he is under arrest. Nowak's final words were "Please, brother. I can't breathe."
The policy, part of the “Police Anti-Racism Commitment,” was published in 2022 following the 2020 launch of the wider race action framework. It sets out objectives including transparency in policing and improving internal accountability around racism, while stating that equality of policing outcomes “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’.”
It defines its aim as “producing equality of policing outcomes for people from different ethnic groups by responding to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm.”
The framework cites policing’s “difficult history in its relationships with Black communities” and references the murder of George Floyd as part of its background rationale.
"In the summer of 2020," the guidance reads, "nations across the globe were rocked by the outpouring of emotion following the murder of George Floyd. It provided a catalyst for the expression of deep concerns about the social injustice experienced by Black people. This was the same in the UK. Although this was a wider expression against societal injustice, it was about policing."
In June 2020, Amnesty International UK also urged the UK government to review exports of security and crowd-control equipment to US law enforcement agencies amid nationwide protests following Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.
At the time, the group warned there was “a very real risk of UK-manufactured tear gas or rubber bullets being used against George Floyd protesters,” and called for a freeze on policing and security export licences where misuse was considered likely.
Amnesty also argued that the policing response to the demonstrations in the US was “excessive and disproportionate." They also made much to do about Floyd's telling the police that he can't breathe, something Nowak also stated to police while dying in cuffs. Amnesty made the comment in a release titled "‘I can’t breathe’: The refrain that reignited a movement."
"Three words uttered by George Floyd as his life was extinguished beneath the knee of a police officer in the USA have again become a rallying cry for racial justice and police reform in the U.S. and across the globe. The last time these words sparked an uprising, they were cried out by Eric Garner as he was killed by police in New York City in 2014.
"In a showing of historic solidarity- the likes of which have not been seen since the days of the US’ Civil Rights Movement- millions of diverse crowds have taken to the streets for weeks, protesting, chanting, kneeling, and demanding change, not just in the United States, but also around the world."
No mention of uprising and no good faith was ever given by the group to the protesters who marched in Southampton, despite the video evidence being clear.
Then-Labour leader and current prime minister Keir Starmer took a knee in solidarity during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020.
