Two men have been arrested following two nights of violence in Thetford, Norfolk, where police were injured while protecting asylum seekers from angry mobs attempting to break into their homes. The unrest, which involved more than 100 people, was sparked by plans to house asylum seekers in former military barracks at RAF Barnham near the market town.
Officers attacked while protecting asylum seekers
Norfolk police reported that on Wednesday, one officer was struck by a rock, another was bitten, and a third was spat at while responding to reports of protesters trying to break into a home in the north of Thetford. The injured officers were taken to hospital. A man in his 40s, arrested on suspicion of public order offences, remains in custody, while Brian Thompson, 68, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, a wooden bat, and is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates Court on 25 August.
On Tuesday night, officers intervened to protect five men who were being threatened by dozens of protesters. Some protesters smashed a window and damaged a fence and letterbox, and police were responding to reports that 30 to 50 people were trying to enter a house in the west of Thetford. Video footage showed the men being escorted to safety by officers as protesters jeered, shouting “refugees not welcome”, “get out”, and “bye”. In another video, a man shouted: “They don’t want the white man any more, they want to swap us.”
Violence spread to multiple properties
Later on Tuesday, officers responded to reports of residents being threatened at two homes in the south of the town. At one home, windows were smashed; at another, a resident was forced out and had their mobile phone stolen when a small group forced entry. A man in his 30s arrested over Tuesday’s unrest on suspicion of a public order offence has been released with a conditional caution.
The unrest followed the online circulation of a list of properties whose landlords have contracts with Serco, a government contractor, to provide homes for asylum seekers. Terry Jermy, the local Labour MP, who has previously criticised plans to use RAF Barnham to house up to 1,000 asylum seekers, condemned the violence and what he called “mob rule”.
MP condemns “mob rule” and warns of escalation
Jermy said protesters were targeting houses of multiple occupation used by Serco. “There doesn’t seem to be protests at all of the properties known about thus far, so the potential for increase and escalation is clearly there,” he said. “I’ve had constituents contact me of mixed ethnicity who are terrified that they will be misidentified as asylum seekers and what that might mean for their families.”
Jermy said he recognised many of the protesters as local people in the videos, but believed tensions were being “whipped up by outside forces”. In a statement, he said: “The ugly scenes in Thetford over the past few days have been difficult to watch and are deeply concerning. People have been pulled from their homes – a place of safety – and forcibly removed, with reports of members of the public breaking into homes, taking property and smashing windows. I do not know the immigration status of the people placed in these properties or their legal status, but I know they are human beings that must be afforded the same rights that we all expect in this country. Whatever our own individual views on immigration – mob rule and vigilantism is not acceptable.”
Police boost powers in Thetford
Norfolk Police also condemned the violence. Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean, overseeing the response, said: “We will always facilitate and support the right to peaceful protest. However, no matter how strongly those views are held, there is no place for violence, intimidation or criminal behaviour. We will not stand by and allow violence to take place, whether that is directed towards members of the public, local residents or police officers carrying out their duties.”
In response, policing powers in Norfolk were increased in Thetford on Thursday evening. Public safety measures have been imposed, including requiring people to remove face coverings if asked by officers, and police can direct anyone committing or suspected of committing antisocial behaviour to leave the area. The measures are in place from 6pm on Thursday until 7am on Friday. Anyone refusing to remove a face covering may be arrested.
