Three consecutive evenings of anti-asylum seeker protests brought disorder to Thetford, Norfolk, culminating in violence that sent two police officers to hospital. Eggs and stones were thrown at properties believed to house migrants. Hundreds gathered outside these homes, with police making arrests on suspicion of public order offences, harassment, and possession of an offensive weapon.
On Clover Way, where the largest incident occurred, a neighbour reported dozens of police officers and riot vans. She estimated at least 200 protesters, many of them youths, shouted, “We don’t want them here.” Eggs were thrown at a house and police vans were stoned. By 01:00 BST, police had separated the groups. The resident stated, “I don’t feel safe in this town any more.” Another local, Ray Thompson, described seeing “youngsters standing there with hoods on and covering their faces,” noting the community felt frightened by the tensions. An upstairs window was smashed, with rocks strewn across the road.
The Manufactured Crisis
Tensions had escalated over proposals to use RAF Barnham, a former air base in Suffolk, for asylum seeker accommodation. Residents repeatedly cited a lack of consultation about placing migrants at the base or in the town. One local stated, “We’ve been ignored.” The government, for its part, stated the base plans were at an early stage and would involve community engagement if they proceeded.
At Elm Road, a house targeted on Tuesday and Wednesday nights had a broken window. Police reported a smaller group entered a property, forced out the resident, and stole their mobile phone. A nearby couple, who heard commotion at 01:00 on Wednesday, said stones were thrown at the house the following night. On the St John’s Way estate, protesters believed a house was home to five asylum seekers. Norfolk Police received reports of people attempting to get inside, smashing a window, and damaging a fence panel and letterbox. A resident reported 30 to 50 people trying to enter. Eyewitnesses described police drones buzzing overhead.
Chelsea Goodwin, a neighbour, voiced her objection, stating, “you don’t know who they are.” She added, “I don’t feel safe having undocumented illegal immigrants here.” Goodwin explicitly distinguished between families fleeing war and “a just group of middle-aged men,” citing “cultural differences” as a safety concern for women and children. The property is now empty, with occupants reportedly escorted out by police, their fate unknown.
Profiting from Deterrence
Shannon McCubbin, another resident, declared, “We made a stand and we made our voices heard for once.” She believed asylum seekers were getting housing at the expense of locals. Debbie Ives echoed this, stating, “These men are coming in illegally and they’re being housed and given everything they need, yet we’ve got single women with children sofa-surfing.”
As of March 2026, government figures show only 40 asylum seekers living in Breckland, the district containing Thetford. This figure is less than half the average for a UK council with asylum seekers in non-hotel accommodation, relative to its population. Meanwhile, Breckland Council’s social housing waiting list stands at 740 people. Serco, a Home Office contractor, is taking on leases on the open market to accommodate asylum seekers. This arrangement, part of seven Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts established in 2019, is worth an estimated £3.5bn over 10 years. By December 2024, Serco accommodated about 20,000 people. The company refused to comment on numbers or locations in Thetford “for safety reasons,” while claiming to work closely with the Home Office and police on safeguarding measures.
The State's Border Regime
A spokesman for Serco asserted that its accommodation for asylum seekers is entirely separate from housing used by Breckland Council, and does not impact the availability of homes for those on the council’s housing register. Norfolk Police Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean condemned the violence, stating, “there is no place for violence, intimidation or criminal behaviour,” while affirming the right to peaceful protest. Terry Jermy, the South West Norfolk Labour MP, also condemned the violence, citing fears for safety among diverse residents and invoking “British values” of respecting the rule of law.
A government spokesperson reiterated that “The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms.” They highlighted efforts to “exit asylum hotels” and house asylum seekers in “basic accommodation, including ex-military sites.” Five military sites are either in use or being explored. The government claims the population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35% in the last year and by 63% from the 2023 peak of 56,000, with overall asylum costs falling by nearly £1bn since the general election. The occupants of the targeted property on St John’s Way were reportedly escorted out by police, leaving the house empty.