Police officers bitten during anti-migrant protests in UK town
A UK police force said on Friday that its officers have been tackling serious violence, including being bitten and spat at by protesters, over days of anti-migrant clashes at a town in eastern England.
Norfolk Constabulary condemned the violence over three nights of disorder at Thetford as protesters targeted properties they believed were housing asylum seekers. Four people were arrested and a 68-year-old man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a wooden bat, since the protests turned violent on Tuesday night.
“As police intervened, members of the group became physically aggressive towards officers – two were taken to hospital after a male officer was struck with a rock and a female officer was seriously bitten, breaking the skin. A third officer was also spat at,” Norfolk Police said.
Properties have been damaged in the protests, including windows being smashed and fences broken, as people attempted to break into residential properties. Asylum seekers were forced to flee some of these accommodations amid the disorder, which entered its third consecutive night on Thursday.
“We will always facilitate and support the right to peaceful protest, and we recognise that people may hold strong views and feelings about issues.
However, no matter how strongly those views are held, there is no place for violence, intimidation or criminal behaviour,” said Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean, overseeing the response to the disorder for the Norfolk Constabulary.
“Our role is to keep people safe. We have a duty to protect everyone in our communities, maintain public order and prevent harm. We will not stand by and allow violence to take place, whether that is directed towards members of the public, local residents or police officers carrying out their duties.
“Where criminal offences are committed, we will take robust action. Our focus remains on maintaining public safety and ensuring people can go about their lives without fear of violence or disorder,” she said.
Her officers made arrests for offences including public order, harassment and possession of an offensive weapon, with some still in custody while others have been released on bail.
Extra policing measures were enforced until Friday, which gave officers the power to order anyone committing anti-social behaviour, or likely to do so, to leave the area. According to Norfolk Police, several asylum seekers had to be escorted from homes as a result of the unrest this week.
“The ugly scenes in Thetford over the past few days have been difficult to watch and are deeply concerning,” said Terry Jermy, the Labour member of Parliament for the area.
