Suffolk Police investigate assault and protest activity at RAF Barnham
Man reportedly pushed after removing flags protesting asylum seeker plans
Suffolk Police are investigating the alleged assault of a man who tore down flags left at RAF Barnham by protesters.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said he snapped five garden cane flags and pulled down a sign pinned to the fence at RAF Barnham, near Bury St Edmunds, on Sunday morning, September 27.
The military base has been the regular meeting point for protesters opposing the Government’s plans to house up to 1,250 asylum seekers at the site.
“In my view, the site should be immediately cleared of all the roadside paraphernalia, whether it be legal, offensive or otherwise, and the regular Sunday afternoon demonstrations stopped,” the man said.
“All of it is an incitement to hatred of which there is far too much about.”
When the man came back to the site in the afternoon to film the crowd, he said he was approached by three protesters ‘within seconds’, one of whom pushed him to the ground.
He said he was then arrested, both for the earlier damage to the flags and for his own safety, and taken to Bury police station, where he was held for nine hours.
The man admitted to the damage and was handed a £100 fine before being released.
Suffolk Police have confirmed it arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of causing criminal damage in Barnham, and an investigation was ongoing ‘around the circumstance of the arrest’ outside the base.
The force also confirmed it was making enquiries into an allegation of assault, with officers to follow up with the complainant.
The man’s actions have led to a number of social media posts not only from members of the public, but also local politicians in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Although most of the posts, and the comments within them, talk about the situation in general, several seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service attempt to identify the man and even make threats.
One commenter said: “Name him …find him…get him.”
But the man also believes the constabulary’s liaison officers, who attend the protests and, in his opinion, have been liaising ‘too closely’ with the protesters.
“I consider all of these to be incitements to racial hatred,” he said, “and I have become increasingly concerned that the police do not appear to be doing anything about this.
“The signs and flags are offensive to me, and I’m white and British – it is awful to imagine how any asylum seekers or even anyone not white or British would feel about any of it.”
The force’s spokesperson added: “Suffolk Police stresses that it supports the public’s right to protest but will take action against anyone who commits criminality at these protests.”