“Put your hands up for Henry Nowak!” A major festival crowd fell silent before erupting in applause as a well-known TV star and DJ paused his set to pay tribute to the murdered teenager. His message has now sparked calls for more public figures to speak out and ensure Henry’s name is never forgotten. 

Henry Nowak was stabbed with a Sikh ceremonial knife | HANDOUTAs the crowd cheered, the 36-year-old signed off: “God bless you.”

After sharing the footage on Instagram, Mr Zanetti took to the comments of the post to encourage other well-known figures to use their platforms to similarly show support for the teenager.

He typed: “If he don’t get all huge celebs/athletes and the rest shouting his name, no positive worldwide movements and social blackouts etc…

Tom Zanetti (left) is a popular DJ and reality TV star

“Respect bro! RIP Henry,” another follower wrote, while someone else echoed: “This is epic!”

Mr Zanetti’s public show of support comes just over a week after Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old described as weapons-obsessed, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Mr Nowak in Southampton last December.

The 18-year-old from Essex was walking home alone following an evening out with friends when Digwa attacked him with a 21cm blade he claimed to carry as part of his Sikh faith.

At Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley KC declared that Digwa had brought “shame” upon both his family and his religion while stoking racial tensions locally and nationally.Digwa’s brother contacted emergency services, falsely alleging that his sibling had suffered a racially motivated attack, a lie that shaped how officers initially responded to the dying teenager at the scene.

Bodycam footage released by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, with the family’s consent, captured officers speaking with Digwa and others as Mr Nowak lay on the ground, repeatedly stating he had been stabbed and could not breathe.

The recording showed police rolling him onto his side, restraining his hands behind his back with handcuffs, and informing him of his arrest before he became unresponsive.

Mark Nowak delivered a powerful statement outside court following the sentencing of Digwa

 | GB NEWSMr Nowak’s family condemned the treatment as “inhumane and degrading,” with his father Mark stating outside court that the disparity between how his son and Digwa were handled was “unbearable.”

“Henry did not die with dignity,” he said.

Hampshire Constabulary has since referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is conducting an ongoing investigation into the force’s actions that evening.

The footage has ignited fierce political debate, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage describing a sense of “cold rage” at Mr Nowak’s treatment and citing it as evidence of “two-tier Britain.”

Tom Zanetti has appeared in the UK Dance cheart several times

“A false accusation of racism counted higher at that moment than someone that was dying,” he said.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp echoed these concerns in the Commons, arguing that officers “appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism… than they were with helping Henry.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned MPs against politicising the case, highlighting a “dangerous undercurrent” in public reaction that had forced one wrongly identified officer to relocate for his family’s safety.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected the two-tier policing characterisation entirely, while Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the question of “how accusations of racism informed decision making” required addressing.

The incident took place on December 3 on Belmont Road, when Mr Nowak was walking home from a night out with his football team | CPSThe case has drawn international attention, with US Vice President JD Vance posting that Mr Nowak 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.”

His remarks followed a US State Department post describing “two-tiered policing” as a “glaring symptom of civilisational decline.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk also weighed in on his platform X, urging users to share the footage showing how “heinously Nowak was treated by the police” and how officers “cravenly kowtowed to his murderer.”

Downing Street responded sharply, stating: “Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged resistance to “attempts like this to politicise Henry Nowak’s death and divide our country – whether they come from Maga politicians like Vance or their cronies here in the UK.”