In briefThe man who murdered an 18-year-old British student was sentenced this week.The case has drawn uproar from right-wing leaders around the world.The murder of British teenager Henry Nowak has become a lightning rod for right-wing debate, with politicians in Australia, the US and UK using it to advance narratives about immigration, race and claims of a "two-tier" policing system.Among them are One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and US vice president JD Vance, who both spoke out about the case on Friday, with Hanson characterising it as an example of "racism towards white people".Their comments came despite an appeal from Nowak's father this week that his son's death not be used to create further division, and data that discredits the notion that police treat white people more harshly than other ethnic groups in the UK.What happened to Nowak, and why has his murder become the focus of a debate stretching far beyond the UK? How did Henry Nowak die?News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.The 18-year-old, who was white, was a first year finance and accounting university student in the southern English city of Southampton.He encountered Vickrum Digwa, 23, while walking home on 3 December after a night out with friends.Digwa, a British Sikh, was carrying two knives, which he has said he was permitted to carry under exemptions for Sikhs to carry ceremonial daggers.A UK court heard that Nowak appeared to notice the larger of the two blades and began filming Digwa on his phone. The judge overseeing the case, William Mousley, said Nowak asked Digwa if he was a "bad man", before Digwa took the phone from him.The judge said Digwa went on to stab Nowak deliberately.Digwa's brother called the police, falsely claiming Digwa had been assaulted. When police arrived, Digwa repeated the lie, claiming he had been racially abused.Police body camera footage shows that officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak, who could be heard saying he had been stabbed and could not breathe.He died from his injuries soon afterwards.The court heard Nowak's wounds caused catastrophic internal bleeding and faster medical intervention could not have saved his life. Police called an ambulance and began CPR after Nowak became unresponsive. On Monday, Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 21 years for the murder.The reaction in the UKThe release of police bodycam footage was shared widely and sparked furious reaction.The case has become highly politicised, spurring domestic debates about race and policing.A protest this week in Southampton was attended by prominent right-wing agitators including anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson, and ended in violent clashes in which attendees threw bricks and bins at police.Debates over race and immigration have become increasingly divisive in British politics over the past decade, intensifying around the Brexit referendum and remaining highly charged today.After the sentencing hearing, the victim's father Mark Nowak said the way his son was treated by police was "inhumane and degrading".But he 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".Far-right figures, however, have claimed the murder is evidence that police forces in the UK treat white people and ethnic minorities differently.Violent clashes broke out at a protest following this week's sentencing hearing. Source: SIPA USA / Christopher Walls / SOPA Images/Christopher Walls / SOPA Images/Sipa USAIt's an allegation that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government and police chiefs have vehemently denied.Black people in England and Wales are more than twice as likely to be arrested than white people, according to government statistics.In 2024/25, 70 per cent of stop and searches in the two countries were for non-white people, according to UK government figures.Separately, an independent report last year found the UK's largest police force, London's Metropolitan Police, had systemically-embedded issues with anti-black discrimination.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage — whose populist party, known for its tough anti-immigration policies, has been leading in the polls — has called for people to respond to the murder with "pure cold rage" and claimed the "rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities".Rhetoric travels abroadIn Australia, Hanson echoed Farage in describing the UK as a "two-tier culture".In comments to news.com.au on Friday, the One Nation leader asserted that "racism towards white people is happening in Australia too".Keir Starmer has accused Nigel Farage of exploiting Nowak's murder. Source: AAP / Yui MokHanson's party, similarly known for its hardline immigration policies, is now leading some polls in Australia after recently overtaking Labor.US President Donald Trump's government, which has made an immigration crackdown one of its defining policies, also joined the chorus.Vance, in a Friday post on X, called Nowak's death "enraging", saying the teen would still be alive "if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants".The US State Department also cast it as a case of "two-tiered policing". X owner and CEO Elon Musk offered to fund a private prosecution against UK police over the handling of the murder, encouraging users of his social media platform to share the video far and wide."Legacy mainstream media, same ones who wrote about George Floyd millions of times, are dead silent about Nowak," he posted.Starmer has hit back at these narratives, issuing a statement on Saturday criticising "people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets".A shared global narrative amid rising populismSimon Tormey, a professor of politics at Deakin University, said the story feeds a growing narrative about white people becoming minorities in their homelands. "It's very strongly fanning the breeze behind an ethno-nationalist backlash against multiculturalism and the increase in ethnic minorities generally across the Western world," he tells SBS News."Of course, this tunes very nicely into Pauline Hanson's critique, the right-wing critique, generally."Right-wing populist parties and movements have gained support across parts of Europe, the UK, US and Australia in recent years.These parties "see the influx of minorities over the last 20, 30 years as detrimental to their way of life", Tomey said.He said narratives such as those surrounding the Nowak case can be used to reinforce the idea that institutions have become biased against white people amid efforts to promote multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion.Aaron Winter, an academic and sociologist at the UK's Lancaster University who researches the far right and racism, told CBC News "white grievance" narratives were central to Brexit and serve as mobilising opportunities for parties like Reform UK."It's not because they care about the victims," he said.The role of social mediaHanson, Farage, Trump, Vance and Musk share a similar worldview on these issues, Tomey said, while figures like Musk help to "keep this kind of story simmering" by spreading it widely on social media.Social media plays a substantial role in stories like this one, he noted.The speed and reach of online platforms are creating what Tomey described as a "sort of global Anglo-Saxon bubble", allowing political debates and grievances to move rapidly across national borders."I think this is becoming almost like a global set of issues rather than either an Australian one or a British one or American," he argued. "I think there is almost a zeitgeist which is pushing back against 20 to 30 years of trying to be progressive in relation to ethnic minorities."— With additional reporting by AFP, AP and ReutersFor the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.