Two further arrests have been made in Thetford following two nights of disorder in which people attempted to storm homes linked to asylum seekers and police officers were assaulted.
Norfolk Police said two men were arrested on Thursday. One was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred related to events on Wednesday, and the other on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and failing to provide details to police when asked.
Police powers increased
Police powers had been increased on Thursday evening in the wake of the disorder earlier in the week. This came after officers were “subjected to significant aggression” on Wednesday, with one hit with a rock, one bitten and another spat at.
Two officers were taken to hospital after responding to the scene at Clover Way that evening, which police described as “fast-moving and volatile” with tensions escalating as a crowd moved towards a residential property.
Tuesday night's incidents
On Tuesday night, windows were smashed, fences broken and people attempted to break into a residential property, police said. Protesters’ attempts to enter homes were sparked by fears they were being used to house asylum seekers.
Video footage circulating online appeared to show police escorting a number of asylum seekers away from properties in the area.
Police response criticised
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 defended their 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.
A police spokeswoman added: “We understand that concerns have been raised about a woman using a mobility scooter who was affected during the incident.
“It was not the intention for any bystander to be impacted; however, where people remain within an area of active disorder and do not follow police instructions to move away, there is a risk they may be affected by tactics deployed to protect public safety.”
Witness account
A resident of Clover Way, who asked not to be named, said that at around 9.30pm on Wednesday “lots of young boys… came up on bikes and chucked eggs at the house”. The largely seated protest started “peaceful” until extra officers arrived and formed a line, she said.
Then “it started to get a little bit rowdy” and “people took a step forward towards the police”. No-one tried to get into the house, she said, adding that police “started pepper-spraying people”, including “a lady in a wheelchair”. There were “a few young idiots picking up stones, lobbing them at a police car”.
“They brought a riot van down and blocked the front of the house,” she said, adding that officers got out batons, made arrests and told people to leave.
Charges and arrests
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.
A man aged in his 30s, who was arrested on Wednesday following Tuesday’s incidents on suspicion of a public order offence, has since been released and issued with a conditional caution.
