More arrests made over anti-immigration protest disorder in Thetford

More arrests have been made over disorder linked to anti-immigration protests that saw crowds attempt to storm the homes of suspected asylum seekers and a police officer "seriously bitten".

Asylum seekers were removed from properties in Thetford, Norfolk, yesterday for their own safety, Norfolk Police said.

Two men in their 40s were arrested as protests in the market town continued for a third night, bringing the total number held to five.

Protesters attempted to enter homes where they believed asylum seekers were living on Tuesday and Wednesday night, when officers were also "subjected to significant aggression".

Witnesses reported rocks and eggs being thrown and chants of "we want them out" during protests on Clover Way involving up to 200 people on Wednesday night.

A male officer was struck with a rock and a female officer was seriously bitten, breaking the skin, the force said.

The disorder comes amid local disquiet over proposals to convert a former military base just over the border in Suffolk, RAF Barnham, into asylum seeker accommodation for up to 3750 people.

Norfolk's chief constable Paul Sanford told the BBC: "We have moved asylum seekers away from properties in the town, that's absolutely correct."

He urged the public not to make assumptions and said there were Thetford residents now "concerned for their own safety".

"This is people's lives we're talking about," he said. "This is human beings we're talking about and we ask the public that are protesting just to think about that for a moment."

There was a heavy police presence in the residential area of Canterbury Way on Thursday night.

Nearby police forces, including Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire provided support to officers, Sanford said.

Policing powers were stepped up, with people required to remove face coverings and officers permitted to ask anyone they suspect of anti-social behaviour to leave the area.

Residents who did not want to be named have told the BBC that there has been growing disquiet over the issue of housing.

There is resentment at the perception that asylum seekers are getting free accommodation in an area where young people are struggling to get their own homes.

There are also concerns about the perceived safety of women and girls, specifically around single adult men arriving and living in houses in multiple occupation (HMO).

People explained they had been "kept in the dark" and said they have not been consulted on the issue.

The average cost of housing an asylum seeker for one night in private-rented accommodation is £23.25, and £144 in a hotel - while subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 for each person per week.

The attacks on officers followed unrest on Tuesday in St John's Way, Bracken Road and Elm Road, when properties were damaged with windows smashed and fences broken, and people attempted to break in to a residential property, police said.

Sanford told the BBC the third consecutive night of disorder on Thursday had been "calmer".

However, he said officers would remain for as long as needed and violence would not be tolerated.

He said: "Some people have crossed the line and criminality, attacking police officers is just completely unacceptable.

"Where that occurs we will respond strongly and robustly."

The Labour MP for South West Norfolk, Terry Jermy, said the unrest had "put Thetford back decades" after years of trying to improve the town's reputation.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, he said: "It's been awful the last few nights, it's been terrifying for many Thetford residents."

He said he had been made aware of properties being "pelted with eggs" on Thursday and said the town was "on edge".

He said the violence was "scaring and terrifying people who live in Thetford, particularly people from minority ethnic communities who are contacting me terrified that they are going to be misidentified as an asylum seeker and attacked".

He urged fellow politicians to "call out" the violent protests and assaults of police officers.

Jermy has previously called on the Home Office to end "secrecy and confusion" around plans to house more asylum seekers in former military barracks – including at RAF Barnham, near Thetford.

The town's mayor, Vic Peters, said he supported peaceful protests but condemned "willful disregard of the law".

He said in the past week council staff had been subjected to abuse and intimidation, including councillors, who have been verbally abused at and away from official council meetings.

He said he was commenting as an individual and not as an official statement by the town council.

Scott Hussey, a Reform councillor for the nearby Brecks division on Norfolk County Council, said a "peaceful protest" had started at the town's police station on Wednesday night before it moved to Clover Way.

He described the protest as "spirited" and said there had been "some skirmishes" but said he saw no violence.

He accused the Home Office of "opening a number of these HMOs across Thetford" and "trying to rush through the site for asylum seekers at Barnham".

A Home Office spokesperson condemned the behaviour, warning that "anyone taking part in this criminal activity will face the full force of the law".

They acknowledged concerns about immigration in Thetford but condemned the violence of some protesters.

A spokesperson said: "The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and the concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms."