Protesters swarm Portsmouth lodge as they ‘mistake Pakistani cricket workforce for migrants’
Around 40 to 50 people gathered outside Portsmouth’s Marriott Hotel falsely believing migrants were staying there – when in fact it was the Pakistani cricket team
Protestors at the scene near Eastney Beach, Portsmouth, on Sunday after a small boat thought to be containing asylum seekers headed towards the coast(Image: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire)
A group of demonstrators assembled outside a four-star hotel under the mistaken impression that asylum seekers were being housed there, when in reality it was accommodating a Pakistani cricket squad.
A Reform UK councillor said approximately 40 to 50 individuals congregated outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth – where rooms frequently exceed £120 per night – on Tuesday evening, just one day after protesters attempted to prevent migrants from being transported for processing in the coastal city.
Hampshire County Council Reform UK councillor George Madgwick revealed on social media that local residents had requested his presence at the hotel before he agreed to meet with the establishment’s management. Protestors had mistaken the Pakistan under-19 national cricket team for migrants.
Protestors had mistaken the Pakistan under-19 national cricket team for migrants(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
He said: “I visited the manager and the hotel explained it was a Pakistani Cricket team staying. The cricket team coach came to speak to me personally and I saw proof (hotel were happy to provide).”
The North East Havant councillor then explained he addressed the assembled crowd outside to clarify it was indeed the cricket team, and they “immediately (the crowd) respectfully accepted that” and had dispersed within five minutes.
He said in the post: “There were reports that possible migrants were staying in the Marriott hotel. I can confirm that is NOT the case. Please don’t attend the hotel.”
40 to 50 individuals congregated outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth
The councillor argued that the Government must grasp why such incidents occur, stating: “If the government don’t get a grip on this boat crisis we will see this more and more.”
He insisted the demonstrators were not “bad people” but rather individuals who care passionately about their local area. But Stand up to Racism Portsmouth also posted: “Yesterday (Tuesday 8th) some non white people were spotted amongst the guests at a Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth. Anywhere else in the world, it would just be a case of business-as-usual.
“Allowing racists to mobilise like this every time they become suspicious of any group of non-white people in Portsmouth is extremely dangerous.
“It is racism in action and it has to stop.”
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