Asylum seekers have been forced to flee their homes after anti-immigration protests continued for a third night in a row in Thetford.
Plans to house asylum seekers in residential properties escalated into attacks on homes that saw houses smeared with broken eggs, smashed windows and police hit with rocks, bitten and spat at.
The violence has continued for three consecutive nights in the Norfolk market town and police believe people would likely have broken into properties if they had not intervened.
Here, we look at why people are protesting in Thetford and how it started.
Why are people protesting in Thetford?
The home office announced plans to use former military sites, including RAF Barnham which is near Thetford, to reduce the use of hotels for asylum accommodation.
Proposals to use RAF Barnham to house up to 3,750 migrants were revealed in June and it sparked protests outside the base.
In July, West Suffolk councillors agreed that the site was not suitable, but it was reported that the Home Office was looking into trying to secure a final decision from the government.
Residents also argued they had not been properly consulted and raised concerns over community safety and the scale of the proposed accommodation.
Demonstrations were organised outside the former base but it wasn’t until Tuesday, 4 August when crowds gathered outside homes in St John’s Way, Bracken Road and Elm Road, which were believed to be housing asylum seekers.
Map: Where is Thetford?
Thetford is a market town on the border of Norfolk with Suffolk. It sits just three miles away from RAF Barnham.
What have the police said?
Police have warned those involved in anti-immigration disorder in Thetford, where people attempted to storm homes linked to asylum seekers and police officers were assaulted, will face the “full force of the law.”
Two officers were taken to hospital after tensions escalated on Wednesday evening – one officer was hit with a rock and another was spat at.
Norfolk Police said two men were arrested on Thursday following two nights of disorder.
One was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred related to events on Wednesday. The other was on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and failing to provide details to police when asked.
Police powers had been increased on Thursday evening in the wake of the disorder earlier in the week.
Norfolk Police Chief Constable Paul Sanford said some asylum seekers had to be escorted from homes as a result of the unrest.
He told the BBC’s Today programme: “We did have people protesting in the Thetford area who were targeting addresses they believed were housing asylum seekers, and on a couple of occasions, that required us to escort the residents of those properties away for their safety.”
When asked what might have happened if officers had not intervened, he said: “I think it’s highly likely that the protesters would have got into the property, they would have created a significant problem, and really threatened the safety of the occupants, and indeed the protesters themselves.”
The chief constable said “I absolutely refute” that his officers had been too aggressive.
“We have people who are exercising their right to protest and, of course, we will support that,” he said. “There are people who live in Thetford who are concerned, understandably concerned, about some of the things that are happening in their town.
“However, across three consecutive nights, a group of people have crossed the line as to what is acceptable. We have been appropriately policing those behaviours.
“I’ve seen the reports of heavy handedness. We’ve been firm. We’ve been firm with people who have broken the law.
“If people wander into an active protest and ignore calls from the police to stand back, then there is a high likelihood that they might get caught up in what occurs. But my officers have done a fantastic job.
“I’ve had two police officers hospitalised as a result of the incident on Wednesday night.
“The people who perpetrated those offences should expect the full force of the law, and I will be pushing for the strongest possible sanction.”
Witnesses and people online had criticised the police response, with reports suggesting that a woman in a mobility scooter was pepper-sprayed on Wednesday.
The force has defended its actions as proportionate and appropriate, including the use of Pava spray.
It said Pava, a handheld incapacitating substance similar to pepper spray, was used in response to a person’s behaviour in the crowd.
Where else have there been protests over asylum seekers?
There have been numerous demonstrations outside hotels that were thought to be housing asylum seekers.
Protesters gathered outside The Bell Hotel in Epping on July 17, 2025 after asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault.
Demonstrations have also taken place outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf on August 17, 2025.
Last summer also saw protests against asylum seekers in Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle and Horley. These demonstrations were met with counter-protests organised by Stand Up to Racism.
