An anti-immigration demonstration took place in Norwich on Wednesday, three days after seven Afghan refugees were charged with rape and child sexual abuse offences as part of an investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation in the city.
The protest, held on the steps of Norwich City Hall, saw activists display a banner reading ‘stop importing, start deporting’. Around 150 people gathered, many waving England flags, while speeches were broadcast over loudspeakers. One speaker asked “how much longer do we stay silent” and declared “no more”.
The charges, announced by Norfolk Police on Friday, relate to offences allegedly committed between August 2023 and May 2025 against two victims aged in their early-to-mid teens at the time. The seven men, all Afghan nationals, appeared before Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday and were remanded in custody until a plea hearing at Norwich Crown Court on June 19.
Police confirmed that none of the charged men had lived at asylum hotels in Norfolk, and none of the alleged offences occurred at such hotels. Five of the men entered the UK via small boat, one concealed in a lorry, and the seventh attempted to enter clandestinely via Portsmouth ferry port.
Uniformed police officers monitored the demonstration, which had been advertised on social media. Some heckling occurred as passers-by objected to the protest, but officers quickly intervened.
Superintendent Craig Miller said: “I know this news will be shocking to our communities. This type of case is very upsetting, and I want people living and working in Norwich, as well as the wider communities of Norfolk, to know that we will do everything possible to protect children from abuse and exploitation.”
