(Adnkronos) – At least 11 officers and a police dog were injured during violent protests that erupted last night in Southampton, southern England, according to Hampshire and Isle of Wight police. Tensions flared near a police station, where a demonstration related to the murder case of student Henry Nowak – handcuffed by police while pleading for help after being unjustly accused of racial assault – escalated into clashes with law enforcement.
Local police chief, Constable Alexis Boon, stated that some participants in the protest “clearly arrived intending to cause disorder,” reporting the throwing of bottles, the use of improvised objects as weapons, and damage to residents’ homes and vehicles. Authorities confirmed two arrests, warning that the number could increase, while Boon emphasized that violence diverts resources from community safety interventions and called the incidents recorded during the protest “unacceptable.”
