Editorial: ​Absolutely shameful that police let stabbed man die by falling for fake claim of racism

​In a case that is emblematic of some of the woke madness that has engulfed the UK, a dying man was handcuffed by police after his attacker falsely claimed the victim had been racist.

​A senior police officer has apologised for his officers who handcuffed the fatally-injured man despite telling them he had been stabbed.

The trial of Vickrum Digwa for the murder of Henry Nowak, 18, in Southampton has heard that the teen died after a stab wound to the chest. Officers from Hampshire Constabulary had handcuffed him after Digwa told them he had been victim of a racist attack by Mr Nowak, despite the latter saying he had been stabbed.

It was only when he lost consciousness that officers started to provide first aid. The US tech billionaire Elon Musk has said he is willing to fund a private prosecution against the force. Mr Musk deserves congratulations for once again highlighting self-hating madness in the UK – madness which the former Conservative government allowed to develop and the Labour administration of Keir Starmer is making worse.

Since the death of a black man George Floyd in the US in 2020 at the hands of white police officers, there has been hypersensitivity to claims of racism on this side of the Atlantic too. The authorities almost believe such claims at once. Think how often BBC NI for example leads its website with claims of racism in this province.

But while racism is despicable, this new culture has emboldened people who want to exploit it. The benefit of the doubt in claims of racism is often not given. Meanwhile, there is no counter culture of encouraging incomers to the UK to think in terms of the benefits of living in our generous society, rather than dwelling on real or imagined slights.

It it thoroughly shameful that a dying man was handcuffed by police on a bogus claim of racism when he should have been given help.