The case of Henry Nowak has generated intense public debate. It has raised questions about policing, equality before the law, freedom of expression, public disorder, and the way our institutions respond to different communities. These are serious matters that deserve serious discussion.
I find myself agreeing with an observation recently made by Brendan O’Neill in The Spectator. He pointed out that some of the very people who enthusiastically politicised the death of George Floyd in 2020 are now insisting that Henry Nowak’s death must not be politicised. There is certainly a degree of inconsistency there.
After George Floyd’s death, many activists argued that a tragic death was evidence of wider social and political problems. Those who questioned that interpretation were often criticised. Yet now, when others suggest that the circumstances surrounding Henry Nowak’s death raise broader questions about policing and public policy, they are told to remain silent and not ‘stir up tensions’. That contradiction is real.
And many left-leaning evangelical leaders are guilty of that contradiction. When George Floyd’s death hit the headlines, how many of them embraced the Black Lives Matter movement? And took a knee? And changed their social media profile pictures? Yet some of those leaders are now denouncing those of us who have spoken out against the police double-standards in the Henry Nowak case.
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