Residents gather for Henry Nowak vigil in Nelson Square

The vigil took place at Nelson Square at 5pm on June 7, where members of the public laid flowers and a wreath in memory of the 18-year-old, who died after being stabbed in Southampton last year.

Attendees observed a minute’s silence and were encouraged to speak with one another about their thoughts and concerns surrounding the case.

(Image: NQ)

Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old White British university student, was killed on December 3, 2025.

He suffered five stab wounds, including a fatal wound to the chest.

According to reports, when police officers arrived at the scene, Nowak repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe.

He later lost consciousness and died at the scene.

(Image: NQ)

The organiser of Sunday’s vigil said the event was intended to bring people together and provide an opportunity for face-to-face discussion.

He said: “I’m a father of three children in Bolton. Obviously we’ve been affected by the video. I’d never heard about it until the video came out in the news.

“When your leaders are failing and not giving you an avenue to express your emotions or feelings, you have to do it yourself.

“It was just an opportunity for people to come, discuss things and talk about things without doing it over Facebook.

“When you’re talking on Facebook, your voice can be missed or misconstrued. When you’re in person with people, life can be misunderstood sometimes, so it’s just an opportunity for people to say what they’re feeling without being judged or looked down on.”

(Image: NQ)

The organiser also said he wanted people to raise their concerns through official channels.

He added: “I think the only way that you can do things now is by putting things down the right avenues, and that’s by letters.

“If there were 60 people here and each one wrote a letter to Greater Manchester Police asking whether, in light of what’s happened, there will be any retraining, then at least people would get answers.

“If I was a site manager on a building site and there was a serious incident somewhere else, I would have to do retraining. I think police in different areas should have to do retraining too.”

Flowers remained in Nelson Square after the vigil as residents paused to remember Mr Nowak and reflect on the circumstances surrounding his death.