London, United Kingdom – Sikh groups moved quickly to condemn the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, despite not being responsible for the actions of his killer, 23-year-old Sikh man, Vickrum Digwa.

But the British far right, which increasingly exploits crime cases in order to rally, has weaponised the case.

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station before marching towards Digwa’s family home in a diverse neighbourhood. Several far-right figures, including Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, UKIP leader Nick Tenconi and Laurence Fox, addressed the crowd. Violence broke out, with missiles hurled at police officers and vehicles damaged. Some performed Nazi salutes while shouting “white power”.

Singh, of the Sikh Federation, criticised politicians from the far-right Reform UK and Restore Britain parties for drawing attention to Digwa’s religion and his kirpan, a ceremonial sword or dagger that is one of the five articles of faith for practising Sikhs, arguing that this had fuelled misconceptions about Sikhism. The court heard the murder weapon was not a kirpan but a separate Persian-style dagger that Digwa chose to carry.