A market town was engulfed by violence and disorder after baying mobs stormed three houses rumoured to be used by asylum seekers.
Frustration exploded into fury in Thetford, Norfolk, following weeks of protests at a nearby former military barracks which has already been earmarked to take 1,250 male migrants.
Five men had to be escorted by police from a property on St John’s Way in front of a baying crowd, prompting protesters to brand the officers ‘traitors’.
One local claimed the landlord had told them to expect new tenants but didn’t mention they would be asylum seekers.
The occupant of a house in nearby Elm Road is then understood to have been forced out of his home before his phone was stolen.
The chaos next spilled over to a residence in Bracken Road, which had its windows and front door smashed in.
Up to 100 people became involved in the violence, with video capturing one man 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.’
Chaotic scenes unfolded in Thetford, Norfolk, as a baying mob gathered after rumours spread on social media about asylum seekers being placed in houses
Others could be heard shouting ‘get out’ as police escorted the terrified occupants of St John’s Way out of the area, two of whom were wearing tops with the hoods pulled tightly over their faces.
In another scene, an individual who was off camera, leaving it uncertain whether they were a police officer or member of the public, shouted over the mayhem: ‘The police have got a job to do.
‘They’re going to remove the guys from the building. There will be no harm or loss or injury.’
Norfolk Police said they arrested a man in his 30s yesterday on suspicion of a public order offence and their investigation into the ‘linked’ incidents were continuing.
A Government spokesman said the ‘concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms’.
The turmoil on Tuesday began at around midday when a group of men were seen moving into the St John’s Way house.
News of the arrival spread swiftly on social media and by 7pm, people began arriving at the estate, with numbers quickly swelling to around 60.
Police guard a property in the market town as protesters stand outside
Police flooded the area and drones were launched as around 100 protesters swamped the market town
Police had to escort the occupants of a property in St John’s Way after a tense stand-off
Police arrived just after 8pm and drones were launched when the mob, none of whom are understood to live in the road, tried to force their way in by smashing in a window and fence panel and ripping out the letter box. A tradesman in the building was also prevented from leaving.
Dramatic footage shows an officer standing in front of the property and telling the protesters: ‘You have the absolute right to stay here and gather and [exercise] your right to freedom of expression.
‘That is your choice, okay. But I need you to stay here and do that peacefully.
‘If we start getting people and they’re making threats, or getting knocks on the door [that’s] when we then come back and that ruins it for everyone.
‘So do the things right for you and don’t cross the line.’
A woman could be heard loudly accusing the police of ‘treason’ and others shouted ‘shame on you’ as they tried to restore calm.
By 10pm, the decision was taken to remove the five men in the property and ten officers surrounded them as they hurried outside and into a waiting police van, amid booing and shouts of ‘get out’.
A police officer addressed the mob at one address, warning them they had the right to ‘freedom of expression’ but they had to do it ‘peacefully’
Doors and windows were smashed at properties as the mob called for the asylum seekers to ‘get out’
The incident came after months of protests at RAF Barnham in Suffolk three miles away, where the government is planning to house 1,250 asylum seekers
The protesters then walked around a mile to the second location, where the house is understood to have been undergoing preparations for asylum seekers to take possession.
It was empty but the window and door were broken before police arrived and dispersed the group.
The last incident, half a mile away in Elm Road, involved a smaller group who are said to have ejected the occupant and taken his phone.
One local, a man in his 50s who didn’t want to give his name, told the Mail today: ‘We all know what’s been going on locally and people are not liking it.
‘People in Thetford are a bit fed up that we’re getting dumped with everybody that supposedly needs help.
‘The problem is we’ve got very poor infrastructure – it’s just about holding together.
‘Now they’re going to put another 2,000-3,000 asylum seekers on our doorstep. It’s not what people want.’
Police have maintained a heightened presence in the area following the violence and disorder
Thetford is just three miles from RAF Barnham, over the border in Suffolk – one of three sites being considered to house a total of 3,750 asylum seekers, alongside former MoD bases in Bicester in Oxfordshire and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire.
The government is also looking to extend the use of existing military sites in Crowborough, East Sussex, until 2030 and Wethersfield, Essex until at least 2027.
Locals in Barnham, Suffolk, have warned they will be overwhelmed if the plans in their area are approved.
The village is home to 580 people and has a church but no shop or pub.
Hundreds of people from as far away as Essex have flocked to protests over the plans in recent months.
An encampment has been set up outside the gates with rotating protesters wielding placards reading ‘Thetford says no!’ and ‘Don’t trust Home Office – it’s all lies.’
Speaking to the Mail last month, Barnham resident Kerri Williams, 51, who is from an RAF family, said she had grave concerns about the scheme for lone, male migrants.
She said: ‘These are grown men with their iPhones and new trainers. If it was women with kids, it wouldn’t be so bad.
‘I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt but we just can’t. We’ve seen the amount of crime they bring.’
RAF Barnham in Suffolk, which is just three miles from Thetford, has been earmarked by the government to take 1,250 asylum seekers
Protesters have been gathering outside the ex-military base for months
One of the protesters in Thetford on Tuesday is understood to have been activist Zak Marketis, who has been staying at RAF Barnham for weeks. His brightly coloured caravan was seen parked in the area. There is no suggestion he was involved in any illegal activity.
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said: ‘Police were called to St John’s Way, Thetford, at 8.12pm [on Tuesday] following reports that a group of people, who didn’t live at the address, were attempting to get inside and smashed a window, and damaged a fence panel and letter box.
‘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.
‘A man aged in his 30s was arrested [yesterday] on suspicion of a public order offence. He has been taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning, where he remains.
‘The investigation into the incidents, which are being linked, remains ongoing.’
A government spokesman said: ‘The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms.
‘That’s why we are working with local authorities and others to make the system fairer by housing asylum seekers in basic accommodation, including ex-military sites. Five military sites are either in use or being explored.
‘The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35 per cent in the last year and by 63 per cent from the peak of 56,000 in 2023.
‘Overall asylum costs have already fallen by nearly £1billion since the general election.’
