Eleven police officers and a police dog were injured as protesters threw bricks and bins at riot officers during a demonstration in Southampton on Tuesday night. The protest, which turned violent, was attended by several far-right leaders, anti-immigrant influencers, and known fascists, according to an analysis by Sundus Abdi, Matthew Weaver, and Ben Quinn.
Protest Background
The demonstration was sparked by the killing of Henry Nowak and his treatment by police, who handcuffed him after a false accusation of racism by his killer, Vickrum Digwa. While many attendees were ordinary members of the public appalled by the incident, the event was also organized by Southampton Patriots and backed by Turning Point UK and Patriots of Britain. Community leaders expressed concerns that far-right groups bused people into the area.
Key Far-Right Figures Present
Tommy Robinson
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, called for Digwa's family to be removed from the city, claiming Nowak's handcuffing showed different treatment for white people compared to non-whites. He is awaiting trial for harassment charges against Daily Mail journalists.
Luke Jahn
Portsmouth branch organizer for the National Rebirth party, Jahn was seen in a brown suit making lewd gestures at riot police and later tweeted about Anglo Saxon England. He was filmed clashing with police alongside a man in a Restore Britain T-shirt.
Laurence Fox
Former actor and London mayoral candidate, Fox founded the far-right Reclaim party. He stated that if Nowak were a young Black man, the whole country would be on fire, and called police the enemy.
Paul Golding
Leader of Britain First, Golding urged the crowd to turn anger into political action, claiming police are not dealing with real criminals who are turning Britain into a foreign country.
Nick Tenconi
Former senior figure in Turning Point UK and current Ukip leader, Tenconi pledged mass deportations and reinstating Christianity into government. He read the Lord's prayer for Henry.
Gregory Moffitt
Known as Young Bob, Moffitt is a conservative activist suspended from Turning Point UK after Hope Not Hate revealed disparaging comments. He claimed the protest demonstrates that native people are not properly policed.
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull
Also known as Posie Parker, she blamed Nowak's killing on schools teaching critical race theory and told a reporter that whites are at the bottom of the priority list.
Anthony Barnes
Known online as AY Audits, Barnes has over 141,000 YouTube subscribers and is a frequent presence at far-right events, including anti-migrant protests.
Chris Wickland
A senior pastor at the evangelical Living World Church Network and associate of Robinson, Wickland is prominent in the far right's pivot towards Christian Nationalism.
While violence occurred after many speakers had left, some leading figures were seen clashing with riot police. Two people have been arrested in connection with the disturbances.
