UK government condemns violence at protest over teen's stabbing death

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s interior minister accused activists of hijacking a tragedy to stir up violence after police were attacked at a protest over the death of a teenager who was handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer stood nearby.

Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares on Tuesday by some of the hundreds of people who attended a protest in the English southern coastal city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December. Two people were arrested and 11 officers and a police dog were injured, police said.

Nowak's death has triggered debates about policing and knife crime and has spurred claims by far-right activists and politicians that there is bias against white people in the justice system.

Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who is Sikh, falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist assault by 18-year-old Nowak, who was white. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded man as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that the case had left “serious questions to answer, including how accusations of racism informed police thinking." But he called the street violence “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Nowak's family had "made a powerful call to us all yesterday to not let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred or tension.

“There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law,” she said.

Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder and sentenced Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. The judge said he didn’t believe Nowak had said anything racist to his attacker.

After the sentencing, police released video showing officers dismissing Nowak when he told them he had been stabbed and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates allegations of police wrongdoing, is probing the actions of the officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it will review its anti-racism guidance in the wake of the killing.

After the sentencing hearing, the victim’s father, Mark Nowak, said the case was not about racism or religion, and that he wanted his son’s death to lead to safer streets and not to be used to create “further division, hatred or tension.”

But Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said on Tuesday that it was an example of so-called two-tier policing — a popular far-right talking point that claims ethnic minorities are better treated than white people.

Farage urged people to respond to the incident with “pure cold rage,” and said, “white lives matter just as much as Black lives.” X owner Elon Musk and British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, have also expressed outrage at the crime.

Starmer said Farage's “appeal for rage” was “unforgivable.”

“I don’t believe there’s two-tier policing in this country," he said Wednesday in the House of Commons. “I’m really shocked that he pretends to have respect for Henry’s family and then acts in this way.”

In the wake of the killing, some politicians have called for Sikhs to be banned from carrying ceremonial knives, known as kirpans. The judge said Digwa had a small kirpan but also had an 8-inch (21-centimeter) sheathed Sikh dagger that was used as the weapon to kill Nowak.

Hampshire Police chief constable Alexis Boon said he understood the “desire for answers and accountability.”

“But that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets, causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,” he said.

People protest outside the police station in Southampton, England, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, one holding a photo of December 2025 stabbing victim Henry Nowak, 18. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

People gather to protest outside Southampton police station, Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026, after the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a British teenager who was handcuffed despite claiming he was the crime victim. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Klay Thompson's legacy was secured long ago. He was part of four championship teams with Golden State, is one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, holds the league's single-game record for 3-pointers made and is surely headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He wants more.

And that's why the Miami Heat pounced quickly when the 36-year-old Thompson was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks over the summer. They're convinced that Thompson still has much to offer and will flourish on a new-look Heat with Giannis Antetokounmpo teaming up with Bam Adebayo.

“I want to be able to look back one day and say I gave it everything I had,” Thompson said Tuesday after his first training camp practice with the Heat, held at Florida Atlantic University. “And I think being with the Heat, it gives me that opportunity. They’re wholly committed to winning. And I've said this before: winning trumps any individual performance I’ve ever had. To be a part of a season of chasing that goal is special.”

Thompson's resume is almost beyond compare.

He's made at least 200 3-pointers in a season 11 times; that's second-most in NBA history behind his former Golden State teammate and “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry, who has 12 such seasons. With 2,899 career 3s, he's only 74 behind former Heat guard Ray Allen for No. 3 on the all-time list — and 101 away from the 3,000-made milestone, something only Curry and James Harden have surpassed.

And here's one that not everyone might expect: Thompson — even without being a full-time starter — is also the only player in the NBA with at least 200 made 3s in each of the last four seasons. He made 202 last season in Dallas, despite playing a career-low 21.7 minutes per game.

“What Klay’s done in this league, I think should be celebrated and respected in our locker room — which it is," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We can take from those experiences. And I think also he can be excited about this possibility of a new experience to be able to create hopefully something similar, but in a different way and a different locker room and different culture.”

The general perception is that Thompson will play a role similar to what Allen played in the Heat era that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. If defenders help off Thompson, it's likely that they'll pay by leaving one of the best shooters in the world — someone who doesn't need much time to get a shot off — open. And if they don't help off him, that's just going to make life easier for Adebayo, Antetokounmpo and everyone else in Heat colors.

“We've got former champions,” Heat guard Davion Mitchell said. “They know what it takes to win.”

Thompson is about to enter his 14th season, not counting two missed because of injury. He’s a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc, is a five-time All-Star and has made at least 10 3s in a game on nine different occasions.

And this summer, in a workout that led to a viral video from famed skills coach Chris Brickley, Thompson made 72 consecutive shots from beyond the arc.

“It’s a good feeling,” Thompson said, “but I would rather make 10 in a row in an NBA game.”

The Heat would like to see that as well. They always have championship aspirations, but the changes to the roster this summer — adding Antetokounmpo, another knockdown shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis and Thompson, among others — make those hopes quite legitimate, even with Miami competing against a loaded Eastern Conference.

“I hopefully one day get the chance to be in the Hall, but before that I still feel like I have so much left to give this game,” Thompson said. “The records even matter to me. I want to still climb up the record books because I’m such a basketball junkie. I grew up watching Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and those guys inspire me to shoot the ball every single day. And the fact that I have a chance to pass Ray in a Heat uniform, that gives me so much motivation to keep going.”

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson speaks with the media during NBA basketball training camp, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Boca Raton, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson sits on the sideline during the NBA basketball team's training camp, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Boca Raton, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat forward Klay Thompson (11) takes questions during the NBA basketball team's media day, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson walks from the court during NBA basketball training camp, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Boca Raton, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson, left, shakes hands with Miami Heat president Pat Riley, right, during NBA basketball training camp, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Boca Raton, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)