About 130 Protesters March 2 Miles to RAF Barnham Over 1,250-Place Asylum Plan
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 29
About 130 Protesters March 2 Miles to RAF Barnham Over 1,250-Place Asylum Plan
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 29
Summary
About 130 people marched from Thetford to RAF Barnham on Sunday to oppose plans to house asylum seekers at the former military site, a much smaller turnout than organizers had billed as a broad community event.
The protest centers on the Home Office plan to ready Barnham for up to 1,250 people, a scale many locals say is too large for the nearby village of about 600 residents.
The march followed three nights of anti-asylum disorder in Thetford earlier in August, when crowds targeted HMO addresses linked to asylum housing and police made more than 20 arrests.
Labour revived the use of military bases last year after promising to close asylum hotels, but critics say such sites can cost more than hotels and worsen asylum seekers' wellbeing.
The Barnham campaign has become a focal point for wider anti-immigration politics in East Anglia, where Reform UK and smaller populist groups have amplified local anger over decline, public services and border control.