Over the last four nights, unrest has broken out in the small Norfolk town of Thetford over the housing of migrants in HMOs within the local estates. Depending on your choice of media, you will see a range of reactions to the unrest, ranging from the rare ‘mostly peaceful protest’, to the more common ‘thuggery’, ‘violence’, and ‘rioting’. I am hesitant to take either side, and so for the time being will continue to refer to it as precisely that – ‘unrest’.

As a Thetfordian myself, though, having seen the responses of some of those involved and watched local footage, some of the reports about the unrest are exaggerated. Although there were a handful of arrests, and unsavoury words and actions that I certainly would not condone, if we can refer to larger incidents of disorder as ‘mostly peaceful’ (such as the Notting Hill Carnival or BLM), then there is a legitimate question about whether Thetford is being described consistently.

What is missing from a lot of the media coverage, however, is what sparked the unrest. More importantly, too, is what the story of Thetford can tell us about the mood in the UK.

Until British people learn to have empathy for other British people, this is only going to get worse

Until British people learn to have empathy for other British people, this is only going to get worse

Thetford is not the idyllic sleepy Norfolk market town one might picture. It perhaps once was, but no longer. In recent years there has been an influx of immigration into the town. Much of this has been relatively positive, and Thetfordians will be the first to tell you so. Thetford........

© The Spectator