Henry Nowak's death shows so-called 'anti-racism' isn't promised fulfilled – it's betrayal

Henry Nowak's death shows so-called 'anti-racism' isn't promised fulfilled – it's betrayalOPINION - ESTHER KRAKUE: I don't want to live in a country that works this way. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source By Esther Krakue 07:00, Thu, Jun 4, 2026 Esther Krakue, left, says Henry Nowak's death shows 'anti-racism' is a lie (Image: Daily Express/Handout)We have all seen the footage by now, or at least read enough to wish we hadn't. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak bleeding to death on a Southampton pavement, telling the officers who arrived that he had been stabbed, that he couldn't breathe — and, shockingly, disgustingly, being handcuffed for his trouble. The man who actually held the blade told police he was the victim of a racist attack, and they believed him. That is the part I cannot get past. An accusation of racism was treated as more urgent than a dying boy's account of his own murder. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) I want to be careful here, because there is a phrase doing a great deal of work in public life at the moment, and it goes something like "as a..." followed by whichever protected characteristic applies. As a black woman, I dread hearing sentences that begin that way in serious discourse, because they are so often a prelude to shutting a conversation down rather than opening one up. So let me use it honestly, for once, and against the grain. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and m...