Pakistan U-19 Cricket Team Mistakenly Targeted by Anti-Migrant Protesters in UK

A group of anti-immigration protesters gathered at a Marriott Hotel in Cosham, Portsmouth, on Tuesday evening after wrongly believing that members of the Pakistan under-19 cricket team were asylum seekers. The incident occurred after false reports circulated online regarding a coach carrying young Asian men arriving at the hotel. According to Sumair Syed, chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, some protesters reached the hotel floor and knocked on the players' doors, though the players did not escalate the situation. Hampshire Police stated that approximately 30 to 40 people congregated at the scene before dispersing around 21:00 BST. Police reported that no offences were identified.

The event followed larger protests in Portsmouth two days prior, where hundreds of demonstrators disrupted the arrival of migrants by boat. George Madgwick, a councillor from the Reform UK party, attended the scene on Tuesday and helped disperse the crowd after hotel staff provided proof that the guests were the touring cricket team. While Madgwick described the event as a grave mistake and a result of speculation, he later denied on social media that the reaction was racist, attributing the unrest to the government's failure to fix the small boat crisis.

In response to the incident, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed it is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of the team's tour. The Pakistan U-19 team continued with their scheduled match the following day, which they won by 177 runs. Labour MP Amanda Martin called the event deeply concerning and unacceptable.