Police Step Up Response to Asylum-Hotel Protests
Police stepped up their response to a wave of protests around asylum accommodation this weekend, after nights of disorder in Thetford in which officers were injured. A specialist policing unit has referred more than a hundred social-media posts linked to the unrest to local forces, amid concern that online agitation is fuelling the trouble. Forces warned that those involved in violence would face prosecution.
The disorder, echoing the anti-migrant riots that swept England last summer, has become an acute test of the authorities’ ability to keep order around asylum housing and to counter the misinformation that inflames it. Police have pointed to the role of social media in drawing crowds and spreading false claims, and have moved to track and refer online material. Ministers have condemned the violence and promised swift justice, but face a charged national argument over immigration. Community leaders fear vulnerable residents and officers alike are being put at risk. Watch whether the protests spread or the tougher policing contains them.