Southampton locals have spoken out after vast crowds of people descended on the city and moved towards the home of Vickrum Digwa's family, leaving a trail of destruction14:12, 03 Jun 2026Southampton residents caught in a night of chaos sparked by far-right agitators seizing on the brutal death of Henry Nowak have told of the mayhem in their city after men turned up "with balaclavas to lay flowers".Locals living in the coastal city were left literally picking up the pieces this morning after vast groups of people descended on Tuesday evening, where they wreaked havoc while claiming to protest the death of Henry Nowak. Henry, 18, was brutally murdered in the city in December last year by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who stabbed him eight times and lied that he had been racially abused. Police responding to the incident believed Digwa's claims and arrested Henry while audibly doubting he had been stabbed, footage showed. Digwa was sentenced to life in jail on Monday after he was found guilty of murder.Residents have described the chaos of the far-right descent on their community while trying to clear their trail of destruction, saying they had desperately tried to avert disaster before the situation exploded.Protesters launched bricks, wheelie bins, bottles and beer cans at riot police as the officers stopped them reaching the home of Henry's murderer Vickrum Digwa. Tensions flared on the road where Digwa's house is situated and chaos erupted, with people breaking down fences and chanting 'I can't breathe'.Neighbours today said they were absolutely 'terrified' as protesters gathered outside their homes and will be left 'out of pocket' after their cars and houses were damaged. One woman said that both her family cars had their back windscreens smashed in, and she was worried that the protesters would come back.Chairs can be seen thrown onto the road, as well as fence posts and gravel lying across the police line. Debris was left strewn across streets in the Portswood area of Southampton.Joseph Roberts, a 22-year-old final year student at the University of Southampton, said he and his housemates were "all unanimous" that the situation, which had started out as a memorial, had devolved to end the way it did. He said: “We're all unanimous in our student house that it got too out of hand. It started out as a memorial for a student. People were turning up with flowers and some with balaclavas."Also among outraged residents was a woman teacher who said she tried to convince protesters not to launch bricks. The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, blamed Nigel Farage for prompting violence, saying: "My husband went to Sainsbury's at around 7pm and when he got out he couldn't come home."It had started in Portswood and they were by the police station. People on our street were having bricks taken from their walls and the people who were slow getting their bins inside had their bins thrown or recycling like glass taken and thrown."I came out when I saw men urinating against old people's homes in the street and they said they didn't care about the old people. I came out again when I saw a man carrying bricks and managed to get him to put them down."He was telling me about his daughter and how he wants to protect her. I told him what Henry's family said, that they didn't want this. It felt like the police kept getting ready for it to get worse. There were multiple, multiple, multiple acts of violence. They disregarded what we have been through as a community since the murder."The way the police treated Henry was appalling. But this is all going to be used as fuel for the far right. Nigel Farage said they should respond with cold rage and that's exactly what they did."They said they wanted to protect women and girls but we know that's not true from last night. People were terrified in their homes. Residents had to be encouraged to lock their doors by the police. I don't want to give my name because I'm worried about my children. I'm a teacher in the area and they've read teachers names out at events before - it gets really nasty."During chaotic altercations with police last night, 11 officers and one police dog were injured, local authorities have said. Frontline officers sustained blows as they received an onslaught of missiles from angry protesters, Hampshire Constabulary said.The force - which has received widespread criticism for arresting dying student Henry - said it arrested two people at the demonstration which turned ugly. Chief Constable Alexis Boon said more people will be arrested as they investigate the scenes of disorder in Southampton.CC Boon today said: "We understand and appreciate as police officers that we are accountable for our actions. What we ask, however, is that those actions are judged through fair and transparent processes. In this case, that process is already underway with the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) conducting their independent investigation.‌"What we as a society cannot accept is the violent scenes we saw in Southampton last night. Some clearly arrived intent on causing disorder and trouble. We saw bottles thrown, makeshift weapons used, damage caused to the homes and vehicles of innocent residents and threats and violence directed towards our officers."As a result, 11 officers and one police dog were injured, while trying to do their job to protect the communities that we serve. While we are forced to deal with those determined to spark fear and division, our finite resources are taken away from those who need it most."I know how intimidating the scenes from last night must have been for those living and working in the area and to you. I must stress, we have incredibly experienced teams of officers who are working around the clock to keep you safe - that is our absolute priority. You will see more of my officers patrolling your neighbourhoods over the coming days and specialist intelligence teams are supporting those on the frontline.‌"My officers bravely and robustly faced violence with professionalism and courage last night and this morning our investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the disorder. Last night, we made two arrests and that number will rise as those investigations continue."I know that since the release of the body-worn video footage from the night of Henry Nowak’s murder, there is a 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."Article continues belowThe 'Justice for Henry Nowak' protest started outside the central police station in Southampton, Hants, with far-right activist Tommy Robinson among speakers who addressed the crowd. Hundreds of protesters then marched to the area where the murder took place, and police held them back as they tried to get into the street where Digwa’s family lives. The fury from protesters raged on late into the night, with hundreds still causing damage as it got dark.