Further arrests have been made following anti-immigration protests in Thetford, England, where crowds attempted to enter properties believed to house asylum seekers and a police officer was seriously injured. Norfolk Police announced the detention of two men in their 40s on Thursday, as protests continued for a third consecutive night.
A woman was also arrested Friday in connection with an assault on a police officer, bringing the total number of people detained to six since the unrest began earlier in the week, according to police.
Officers faced serious aggression during the disorder. A male officer was struck with a rock, and a female officer sustained a bite wound that broke the skin. Both received hospital treatment and were later discharged.
Norfolk Chief Constable Paul Sanford confirmed that the female officer who was bitten on the arm returned to duty in Thetford the following night. Sanford appealed to protesters, saying, "We are just humans in uniform. We're trying to keep their community safe and actually while we're policing these protests, we're not dealing with 999 calls, we're not stopping crime."
Sanford urged the public to avoid assumptions and acknowledge that Thetford residents had expressed concerns for their own safety. "This is people's lives we're talking about," he told the BBC. "This is human beings we're talking about and we ask the public that are protesting just to think about that for a moment."
The protests are linked to local opposition to proposals to convert a former military base, RAF Barnham, into accommodation for asylum seekers. The site, located just across the border in Suffolk, is planned to house up to 1,250 people.
On Thursday, asylum seekers were removed from properties in Thetford by Norfolk Police to ensure their safety. Witnesses reported up to 200 people involved in protests on Clover Way on Wednesday night, where rocks and eggs were thrown and chants of "we want them out" were heard.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the violence, saying, "There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for violence and thuggery to be directed to anyone in our society, whether that's people seeking sanctuary in Britain or indeed the police that are trying to maintain public order."
Streeting drew a distinction between legitimate public concerns about immigration and the actions of those engaging in violence. He said the government is addressing "legitimate concerns that people have around immigration, particularly the challenges around small boats."
He added: "I don't want those people conflated with the violent thugs we've seen on our streets, who seem to suggest on one hand they're concerned about public safety and public order in relation to asylum seekers, while at the same time going out and breaking the law as violent racist thugs." The situation remains under investigation by Norfolk Police.
