Two men have been arrested after a police officer was bitten and another hit by a rock during a second night of disorder in a Norfolk town which has seen anti-immigration protests.
Norfolk Police said “significant police resources” were deployed to Thetford on Wednesday night to maintain public safety after a large group of people gathered on Clover Way . Local councillors said that asylum seekers had been moved into a house in the area by the Home Office, with residents protesting the sudden move, but the government and the police have not yet confirmed this.
A spokesperson for Norfolk Police said: “At about 9.30pm officers responded to reports that people in the group were trying to gain access to a residential property.
“As police intervened, members of the group became physically aggressive towards officers – two were taken to hospital after a male officer was struck with a rock and a female officer was seriously bitten, breaking the skin.
“A third officer was also spat at.”
open image in galleryPrior to this, a large crowd had gathered outside the police station for an anti-immigration protest, which police said was largely peaceful.
Norfolk Police said two arrests were made on Wednesday night for offences including public order, harassment and possession of an offensive weapon. One man aged in his 40s remains in custody.
Brian Thompson, 68, of Fairfields, Thetford, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a wooden bat. He has been released on bail and is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on August 25.
In one video from Wednesday’s protest, which shows dozens of people facing up to a line of police officers, someone can be heard shouting: “They don’t want the white man anymore. They want us all gone, they wanna swap us. It’s predicted by 2050 that the f****** white man’s going to be a minority.”
Other footage posted on social media appeared to show five men being escorted from the houses by police as an angry crowd booed and shouted “get out”.
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, came under criticism on Thursday for claiming that “by 2063, white British people will be a minority” and refusing to say he believes King Charles can be classified as a “white Briton”.
It is the second night of disorder in the town following incidents on Tuesday night where properties were damaged by having windows smashed and fences broken, and people attempted to break into a residential property.
Norfolk county council is lead by Reform UK, and local councillor Scott Hussey said on Facebook that a “group of young male asylum seekers” had been moved into a three-bed terraced house by the Home Office.
He said that the house was “on a family estate, right next to a primary school”, and that council leaders would be writing to Norfolk’s chief constable for an urgent update.
Labour MP Terry Jermy, who represents South West Norfolk, condemned the “ugly scenes”, saying: “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.
open image in gallery“This would have been utterly terrifying for the people in these properties and also very worrying for neighbouring residents. I utterly condemn this behaviour, and I know many Thetford residents share my disgust and concern.”
Mr Jermy added that many residents had been in touch sharing their fears for their safety. He caveated: “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”.
On Tuesday, police officers were called to St John’s Way, Thetford, at 8.12pm following reports a group of people, who did not live at the address, were “attempting to get inside and smashed a window, and damaged a fence panel and letter box”.
The force added: “The group were shouting and preventing a workman from leaving.
“A resident of the same property reported a group of between 30 and 50 people trying to get into the house.
“Officers attended a second address on Bracken Road where some of the group believed to be present at the previous incidents smashed the windows of the property.
“A third incident happened on Elm Road where a smaller group entered a property and forced out the resident and stole their mobile phone.”