Anti-migrant unrest in Thetford: four arrested, police officer struck by stone

Four people were arrested after two nights of unrest in Thetford, Norfolk, where police officers and local residents were attacked and property damaged, police said on August 6, 2026. A policewoman was seriously bitten and a colleague was hit with a stone during the incidents, which followed rumours that asylum seekers were being housed in several local properties.

Officers moved in after a group of demonstrators tried to force their way into a house in Thetford. Witnesses described a crowd of roughly 30–50 people attempting to enter one property while others shouted and blocked a worker from leaving the site. In a separate incident a smaller group succeeded in entering another building, forcibly removing a resident and stealing his mobile phone.

Police response and temporary powers

Norfolk Police said they intervened after reports of attempts to break into houses; windows, a fence and a mailbox were damaged. To manage the disorder the force introduced temporary powers that were in force from August 6, 2026 at 18:00 until August 7, 2026 at 07:00. Under those powers officers could ask people wearing face coverings or scarves to remove them and arrest anyone who refused, and direct people to leave the area if they were causing or likely to cause public disorder.

Two men in their 40s were arrested on the evening of August 6. One is suspected of stirring racial hatred in connection with the events, while the other was detained for a public order offence while intoxicated; both remained in custody. Earlier arrests included two men held on suspicion of public order offences, harassment and possession of a bladed article. One of those men, in his 40s, remained in custody; the other, a man in his 60s, has been charged. A third man in his 30s, arrested in relation to disturbances three days earlier, was released with a warning.

Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean condemned the violence and warned that officers would not allow attacks on residents or police. Terry Jermy, the local MP, described the scenes in Thetford as disturbing and unacceptable and said that, whatever people’s views on immigration, mob violence and vigilantism could not be tolerated. He posted on Twitter: "My statement regarding the recent unrest in Thetford."

Colin Sutton, the newly elected Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner representing Reform UK, also rejected the incidents, saying "there is no place for violence and destruction." Police continue to investigate the assaults, thefts and reports of forced entry as inquiries into the weekend’s disturbances proceed.

Photo: press material from the event