Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team became the mistaken target of an anti-migrant gathering in Portsmouth after false claims spread that a group of asylum seekers had arrived at the hotel where the young cricketers were staying, according to multiple reports.
Around 40 people, many wearing balaclavas or other face coverings, gathered outside the Marriott hotel on Tuesday evening after a coach carrying members of the touring Pakistan squad was seen arriving at the property. The group had incorrectly identified the players as migrants.
The incident came amid heightened tensions over immigration in Portsmouth, where hundreds of protesters had clashed with police two days earlier after a boat carrying asylum seekers reached the coastline from France.
Councillor intervenes after protesters gather
Reform UK councillor George Madgwick, whose ward includes the hotel and who leads the Reform group on Hampshire Council, went to the property after being contacted about the gathering. Hotel staff explained that the guests were members of Pakistan’s touring youth cricket team, while Madgwick also spoke with the team’s coach and was shown evidence confirming their identity.
Madgwick told The Guardian: “I also spoke to the coach of the team, who was very understanding. I went out to the protesters and told them, ‘You’ve got it wrong guys, it’s a cricket club.’ They left within a couple of minutes. It was a massively unfortunate incident.”
The confusion had developed after information circulated online about a group of apparently foreign men arriving by coach. The vehicle was operated by the same company that had transported asylum seekers who had recently arrived in the city.
Madgwick later told the BBC: “Someone online saw a group of what looked like foreign nationals leaving the coach and put a photo of it online and that’s where it spurred from. It was mere speculation rather than based on truth or fact. In this case they have made a grave error, a grave mistake.”
Police tell crowd its concerns were incorrect
Hampshire Police attended the scene after being alerted to the gathering near the hotel. Around 30 people remained at the location according to the police account, before the crowd eventually dispersed.
A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: “The officers explained that their concerns were not correct.”
No offences were identified in connection with the gathering, according to police.
Madgwick acknowledged the impact the episode could have on perceptions of Portsmouth while pointing to the wider tensions surrounding immigration in the city.
He told The Guardian: “It doesn’t make our city look like the welcoming city it is. But it’s reflective of the climate we live in, and where people are deeply concerned about the issues.”
ECB reviews security arrangements for Pakistan Under-19 team
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has checked on the wellbeing of the Pakistan Under-19 team and is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of the tour, according to the BBC.
The incident occurred while the Pakistan youth side was in England for matches against England Under-19. Pakistan lost a four-day match by 10 runs before responding with a 177-run victory in the opening Youth ODI.
The teams are due to continue the Youth ODI series, with another match scheduled at Woodbridge Road in Guildford on Saturday.
Incident draws condemnation in Portsmouth
The mistaken targeting of the Pakistan players also prompted criticism from political and anti-racism figures.
Stand Up To Racism National Organiser Michael Bradley said: “When a Pakistan U-19’s team is faced by protests because it ‘might’ in fact be a group of migrants it means that effectively any group of black or Asian people coming into the city are being seen by the far right as a potential target. It’s obvious where all this is going to end — racist attacks and more violence.”
Portsmouth North Labour MP Amanda Martin also criticised the misinformation surrounding the incident.
Martin said: “It’s completely unacceptable that misinformation has led to young cricketers visiting our city being wrongly targeted and mistaken for people seeking asylum. It’s also wrong that people who work in the hotels had to deal with this. Those who arrived in Portsmouth on Sunday were transported outside of Hampshire for processing. There is a legitimate debate to be had about immigration, but it must be based on facts not misinformation or rumour.”
The gathering ultimately dispersed after the players were identified as members of Pakistan’s touring cricket team, with attention subsequently turning to the squad’s welfare and security arrangements as its tour of England continues.
