Fury has boiled over on both sides of the Atlantic this week after the trial of Henry Nowak’s murderer finally concluded.Vickrum Digwa, whose false claim of racism led police to handcuff young Mr Nowak as he lay dying in the street, was jailed for life this week after being found guilty of murder.In the States, it has been almost 10 months since Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed on a train by a career criminal.Those images shocked the world – but again, left-wingers have long ordered Floyd-style memorials to the young girl to be torn down.Just days ago, protesters gathered outside Providence City Hall to demand the return of a mural dedicated to the murdered Ms Zarutska.The demonstration was organised last month by Rhode Island Republican activist Anthony D’Ellena, who accused Democrat leaders of hypocrisy and “double standards” over who deserves to be commemorated in public.His fury came as construction ramps up on a revamped George Floyd memorial site in Minneapolis.The demonstration was organised last month by Rhode Island Republican activist Anthony D’Ellena | HANDOUTSpeaking to GB News, Mr D’Ellena said: “This wasn’t just about paint on a wall. It was about whether we will allow people to erase the human cost of failed policies.”The mural, painted by artist Ian Gaudreau at The Dark Lady – a gay bar in downtown Providence – commemorated Ms Zarutska after her death in North Carolina last year.In America, she found safety from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.But she was stabbed and left to die on a train by Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, on August 22, whose criminal record included convictions for larceny, breaking and entering and armed robbery.CCTV footage of the attack sparked outrage across America and around the globe.PICTURED: Decarlos Brown Jr and Iryna Zarutska | MECKLENBURG COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/JAMES FUNERAL HOME”The failure to protect innocent people is divisive. The instinct to erase the memorial instead of face the truth is what tells people everything they need to know about where the Democratic party’s priorities truly lie,” Mr D’Ellena said.”She fled the horrors of war in Ukraine seeking safety and freedom in America, the land of opportunity, only to be brutally murdered in a random, unprovoked attack by a career criminal who should never have been on the streets.”The organiser launched a petition calling for the mural to remain in place, attracting more than 16,000 signatures.Asked why he believed city officials wanted the artwork removed, Mr D’Ellena said: “The mural was a mirror they couldn’t stand to look into.”It exposed the consequences of soft-on-crime policies and failures in the justice system.”
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Construction workers arrived at The Dark Lady last month to take down the partially completed artwork | X/VICMELLORFORRIThe artwork became the centre of a fierce political row after local officials backed calls for its removal.Mr Gaudreau confirmed the decision to remove his work came in response to local left-wing outrage.”A lot of people voiced their frustrations, and voices were heard, and the work is coming down as a reaction to that,” he told Fox News.Mayor Brett Smiley made clear his desire for the artwork’s removal, claiming it was “divisive and does not represent Providence””The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Mr Smiley said.Mr D’Ellena said the emotional significance of the rally became apparent when families arrived with children to support the campaign | HANDOUTThe Mayor urged residents to instead champion local artists “whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us”.Those were similar words to those of Sir Keir Starmer, who on Friday raged at “people trying to interfere in our democracy and stir up division in our streets” following Mr Vance’s intervention.The mural itself had formed part of an ambitious nationwide project backed by prominent US tech figures including Elon Musk.Mr Musk just this week said Britain treated racism worse than offences of rape and murder.Sir Keir accused the tech mogul of “interfering” in British politics and added the UK must “assert who we are as reasonable, tolerant people”.Mayor Brett Smiley made clear his desire for the artwork’s removal, claiming it was ‘divisive’ | GETTYMr D’Ellena’s fears that the mural “exposed the consequences of soft-on-crime policies” also saw parallels in Britain, where left-wing politicians frothed at how Britons took to the streets to protest Mr Nowak’s murder.So far, 11 people have been charged in relation to “violent disorder” in Southampton which broke out shortly after Digwa’s sentencing.Further peaceful rallies and vigils have been organised for Henry Nowak since then – which again have been mocked and criticised by the left.Even in Poland, to where Mr Nowak could trace his ancestry, British embassy staff appeared to remove tributes left by Poles for the slain student.Families and children have also come out in the US to support the campaign to save the mural to Iryna Zarutska.’These were working families, veterans, and ordinary Rhode Islanders who are deeply concerned about the direction of their communities,’ the GOP organiser said | HANDOUT Mourning Britons also took to the streets for Henry Nowak – but were mocked by the left | GETTY”These were working families, veterans, and ordinary Rhode Islanders who are deeply concerned about the direction of their communities,” Mr D’Ellena said.Again, those same ordinary Americans have been panned as “divisive” by the same people who turned George Floyd into a protest symbol.Right now, officials in Minneapolis are beginning construction work on a redesigned “George Floyd Square” to mark six years after he was killed.Scheduled to begin on June 8, the project is set to reopen the intersection to traffic while preserving a dedicated memorial space featuring public art, green spaces and gathering areas.Mr D’Ellena argued the contrasting treatment of the two memorials had fuelled anger among supporters of the rally.”Why does one victim become immortalised with murals and memorial spaces while another gets erased?” he said.”That’s the question many ordinary Americans are asking.”The Republican activist reserved some of his strongest criticism for city leaders, accusing them of pursuing “soft-on-crime ideology”.Asked what he would say directly to Mayor Smiley, Mr D’Ellena replied: “Tear down all the murals you want, but you cannot tear down reality.”The President, during his State of the Union address earlier this year, also voiced his fury at Brown Jr’s attack.”Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster, who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no-cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body,” Mr Trump said.The President had invited Ms Zarutska’s mother Anna to watch his address.As he described her death in detail to American lawmakers, Anna wept – and was comforted by Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika.