London, United Kingdom. The U.S. State Department has entered a political dispute in Britain over the killing of student Henry Nowak, criticizing what it called “ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing.” The comments came after the case prompted anger and renewed debate over police conduct in England.
Case and sentencing
Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old white man, was handcuffed by police last year as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack. The killer, a Sikh man, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison.
Questions over police response
Video footage showed officers ignoring Nowak’s pleas as he lay dying. The footage raised questions about why police believed the allegation of racism rather than Nowak, who repeatedly said he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
US statement and political reaction
The case has sparked widespread anger in Britain, while Nigel Farage and Elon Musk have amplified claims that the country has “two-tier policing,” with fears of being called racist leading to ethnic minorities receiving greater protections than others.
“Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline,” the U.S. State Department said on X. “They must be rejected across the West.”
“The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time,” it added.
Government response
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said police had serious questions to answer about their handling of the incident, including how accusations of racism informed police thinking, and said an investigation was taking place.
He also condemned a violent and disorderly protest on Tuesday night and said it was “unforgivable” to exploit the death to stir tension after Farage called for people to respond with “pure cold rage”.
Debate over interference and policing guidance
Starmer also told Musk on Thursday to stop interfering in British politics after the tech executive posted repeatedly about the case and said it showed police were biased against white people in Britain.
The local police force rejected accusations of bias, but police chiefs said they would review guidelines drawn up in response to decades of well-documented incidents of racism in policing on how officers should treat ethnicities differently.