“我喘不上气”：一个英国学生的死，和一个被先相信的谎言

也是一件，让很多人开始反思的事。

It's also something that made many people start to reflect.

故事发生在英国，一个叫南安普顿的城市。

The story happened in the UK, in a city called Southampton.

时间，是去年年底。

The time was late last year.

主角，是一个十八岁的大学生。

The main character was an eighteen-year-old university student.

他叫亨利·诺瓦克。

He was called Henry Nowak.

亨利还很年轻，前面的路还很长。

Henry was still very young, with a long road ahead.

但是那一个晚上，把一切都改变了。

But that one night changed everything.

那天晚上，亨利在外面。

That night, Henry was outside.

另一个比他大几岁的男人，

Another man, a few years older than him,

叫迪格瓦，向他动了手。

named Digwa, attacked him.

迪格瓦用刀，刺伤了亨利。

Digwa used a knife to stab Henry.

伤得很重。

Wounded him badly.

亨利倒在地上，流了很多血。

Henry fell to the ground, losing a lot of blood.

他急需有人来救他。

He urgently needed someone to save him.

在英国，遇到这种事，

In the UK, when something like this happens,

人们第一时间会报警。

people call the police right away.

警察很快就赶到了现场。

The police quickly arrived at the scene.

警察来了，本来是救命的。

The police coming should have been life-saving.

但是，问题恰恰出在这里。

But the problem appeared precisely here.

警察赶到的时候，

When the police arrived,

现场有两个人：

there were two people at the scene:

一个，是身受重伤的亨利。

one was the gravely injured Henry.

另一个，是行凶的迪格瓦。

The other was the attacker, Digwa.

两个人都在说话，

Both were talking,

但是说的，完全相反。

but what they said was completely opposite.

迪格瓦很狡猾。

Digwa was cunning.

他抢先一步，对警察撒了谎。

He got there first and lied to the police.

他反过来说，自己才是受害者。

He claimed instead that he was the victim.

他还说，自己是因为种族，

He also said that, because of his race,

被对方仇恨、攻击的。

he was being hated and attacked by the other person.

这是一个彻头彻尾的谎言。

This was an utter, total lie.

但是这个谎，说得又快又像真的。

But the lie was told fast, and sounded real.

警察在那一刻，

In that moment, the police

竟然先信了行凶者的话。

actually believed the attacker first.

于是，最荒唐的一幕发生了。

And so, the most absurd scene unfolded.

警察没有先去救那个真正的受害者，

The police didn't go save the real victim first.

反而把身受重伤的亨利，

Instead, they took the gravely injured Henry,

当成了嫌疑人，

treated him as a suspect,

给他戴上了手铐。

and put handcuffs on him.

此时的亨利，已经非常虚弱。

By now Henry was extremely weak.

他用尽最后的力气，对警察说：

Using his last strength, he said to the police:

“我喘不上气了。

'I can't breathe.

我喘不上气了。

I can't breathe.'

”

”

这句英文是 I can't breathe。

In English this is 'I can't breathe.'

他是在告诉警察：

He was telling the police:

我快不行了，请救救我。

I'm about to be gone, please save me.

但是那名警察，

But that police officer

只是冷冷地回了一句：

only coldly replied:

“我看你没什么事吧。

'I think you're fine.'

”

”

等到警察终于反应过来，

By the time the police finally came to their senses,

解开手铐、开始急救的时候，

unlocked the cuffs and began first aid,

一切都已经太晚了。

everything was already too late.

亨利，永远地离开了。

Henry was gone forever.

他才十八岁。

He was only eighteen.

说到这里，可能有的朋友会想到，

Speaking of this, some of you may think of

几年前美国的乔治·弗洛伊德。

George Floyd in America a few years ago.

那个同样喊着 I can't breathe，

The one who also cried 'I can't breathe',

最后死在警察手里的黑人。

and in the end died in police hands — a Black man.

没错，正是因为这句话，

Yes, it's precisely because of this sentence

亨利的事，在英国引起了巨大的争论。

that Henry's case sparked huge debate in the UK.

有人借机说，

Some used the moment to say

警察对白人有偏见。

the police are biased against white people.

也有人说，事情根本不是那样。

Others said it's not like that at all.

这件事，

This thing

甚至引发了一些激烈的抗议。

even triggered some intense protests.

我们今天不去站任何一边。

Today we won't take any side.

因为有一点，是双方都认同的——

Because there's one point both sides agree on —

那就是：那天晚上，

that is: that night,

那个真正在求救的人，没有被相信。

the person who was truly calling for help wasn't believed.

后来，真相在法庭上，

Later, the truth, in court,

被一点一点还原了出来。

was reconstructed bit by bit.

陪审团认定，

The jury found

真正行凶杀人的，就是迪格瓦。

that the one who truly attacked and killed was Digwa.

他不但夺走了一条生命，

He not only took a life,

还在现场，对警察说了谎。

he also, at the scene, lied to the police.

最后，法院判他终身监禁，

In the end, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment,

至少要坐二十一年牢。

with at least twenty-one years in prison.

而当地警方，

And the local police,

也为那天晚上的处置，

for their handling that night,

公开道了歉。

publicly apologized.

现在，还有一个独立的调查，

Now, there's also an independent investigation,

专门在查：

specifically looking into:

那天晚上，警察到底错在哪里。

what exactly the police got wrong that night.

节目最后，我们一起想一想。

At the end of the show, let's think together.

这件事最刺痛人的地方，

The most piercing part of this thing

其实和肤色、和立场，都无关。

actually has nothing to do with skin color or political stance.

它刺痛人的，是一个最朴素的问题：

What pierces is a most basic question:

当两个人站在你面前，

when two people stand before you,

一个说真话，一个说假话，

one telling the truth, one telling a lie,

你，凭什么去相信谁？

on what basis do you decide whom to believe?

我们每个人，

Every one of us

都可能在某个瞬间，

could, in some instant,

成为那个做判断的人。

become the one making the judgment.

也都可能，成为那个，

And could also become the one

拼命说着真话，

desperately telling the truth,

却没有被相信的人。

yet not being believed.

所以最后，我想问你。

So finally, I want to ask you.

如果有一天，

If one day,

有一个人，在你面前说他很痛、很需要帮助，

someone before you says they're in pain, that they badly need help,

但是他的样子，让你有点怀疑。

but the way they look makes you a little doubtful,

你，会怎么做？

what would you do?

你会，先选择相信他吗？

Would you choose to believe them first?