4 June 2026
We are deeply saddened by the death of Henry Nowak. His family deserve answers, accountability and justice. The police’s actions, or inaction, should never lead to any person’s death.
We are also deeply concerned by attempts by politicians and the far-right to use this tragedy to attack anti-racism initiatives in policing and to promote the false claim that there is discrimination in favour of Black and racially minoritised people over white people within the criminal justice system (CJS). This is simply untrue and the promotion of such disinformation is extremely harmful.
Despite the absence of evidence, claims of so called ‘two tier policing’ have increasingly been made by politicians, commentators and far-right groups seeking to portray anti-racism as a threat rather than a necessary response to persistent inequalities. Systemic racism continues to shape experiences of policing and the criminal justice system, which harms us all. Black people remain significantly more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. They are more likely to experience the use of force and are disproportionately represented throughout the CJS. These disparities have been documented over decades, including by official reviews and in the government’s own data. They are felt particularly harshly by those who experience additional and intersecting forms of discrimination.
As a by and for organisation working with Black and minoritised migrant women, we see the impact of these inequalities every day. Women tell us about experiences of discrimination, being disbelieved or even criminalised when reporting violence, fears that engagement with authorities could expose them to further harm, and the reality that it often does. This is the true impact of racial discrimination.
Anti-racism is not about privileging one group over another. It is about recognising and addressing inequalities that already exist. The basic policies the police already have which attempt to address the impact of racism have been hard fought for over decades by those impacted by it, with advances often only made in the wake of irrefutable failures. They are not enough, but they are a first step. The aim of such policies has never been to make outcomes better for some people at the expense of others, and there is no indication that this is how they work in practice. The aim is to make the system fairer for everyone.
We are concerned by the extent to which these claims have gone unchallenged in mainstream debate. When politicians and public figures fail to push back against misinformation about racism and policing, lend legitimacy to them and create space for narratives that deepen division and undermine public trust. Senior policing leaders have warned that attacks on anti-racism risk taking policing backwards rather than forwards. That warning should be taken seriously.
These developments must also be understood within a wider context. Across the UK, we are witnessing growing hostility towards equality, diversity and anti-racist initiatives. Efforts to understand and address structural racism are increasingly being framed as ideological or divisive, while the inequalities that made such work necessary are downplayed or ignored. We cannot allow the debate to fall back to whether racism still exists, or even whether it is acceptable. This not only denies reality, but also creates a genuine danger to those affected by the very real impact of racism.
Henry Nowak’s death should prompt serious reflection about accountability and the use of force within policing. It should not be used as an opportunity to deny the realities of racism or to dismantle efforts aimed at creating a more equal society. Challenging racism does not diminish anyone else’s rights: it strengthens the foundations of a fairer and safer society for us all.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Jiménez-Yanez at elizabeth@hibiscus.org.uk