A group of masked protesters gathered outside a four-star hotel in Portsmouth after wrongly believing that a group of asylum seekers had been taken there. They later discovered that the people staying at the hotel were members of Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team.Around 40 people gathered outside the Marriott hotel on Tuesday evening, with many wearing balaclavas or other face coverings. The protesters had reportedly seen a group of men they believed were asylum seekers arriving at the hotel.George Madgwick, a Reform councillor whose ward includes the hotel, was called to the scene to help resolve the situation. He spoke to the hotel manager, who explained that the men were Pakistan’s Under-19 cricketers, who are in England for a tour and are using the Marriott as their base.Madgwick also spoke to the team’s coach and was shown proof that the group were cricketers.“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,” Madgwick told The Guardian.He said the misunderstanding was partly because the coach carrying the players was operated by the same company that had transported asylum seekers who recently arrived in Portsmouth by boat.“From the perspective of the people of Portsmouth who are already on high alert, this was a coach from the same company which was turning up with about 40 foreign men,” Madgwick said.The incident came after tensions rose in Portsmouth following the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats from France. Hundreds of people, many wearing balaclavas, clashed with police in the city on Sunday evening. Police are investigating possible assaults and criminal damage.A day earlier, crowds dressed in black and wearing balaclavas had blocked a road near the port of Dover. Far-right activist Daniel Thomas, who is closely linked to Tommy Robinson, said he had organised both demonstrations.Madgwick said he understood the concerns of local residents but acknowledged that the incident was far from ideal.“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,” he said.Madgwick had earlier posted on Facebook asking people not to go to the hotel after residents contacted him about what they believed were migrants staying there. He later made the post private after it attracted abusive comments.The England and Wales Cricket Board has since contacted the Pakistan Cricket Board to check on the wellbeing of the players and is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of the team’s tour.Pakistan Under-19 recently played England Under-19 in a four-day Test, losing by 10 runs. The teams are scheduled to meet in a one-day match at Arundel on Wednesday, before another ODI in Guildford on Saturday.Pakistan’s senior men’s team is also currently in England for the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston.
