Web Desk: Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team was mistakenly caught up in an anti-migration protest in Portsmouth after online speculation wrongly identified the young players as migrants arriving at a local hotel.
Around 30 to 40 people gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Cosham on Tuesday evening after rumours circulated online that a coach carrying migrants had arrived at the property.
The gathering ended after local officials and police established that the group staying at the hotel was Pakistan’s touring under-19 cricket team.
Reform county councillor George Madgwick said he went to the hotel after learning about the gathering and spoke with its management.
According to Madgwick, hotel officials confirmed that the guests were members of the Pakistani cricket squad. He said the team’s coach also spoke with him and that he was shown documentation confirming their identity.
The councillor later appealed on social media for people not to join the gathering, describing the reports about migrants as unfounded.
The incident appeared to have started when someone posted an image online showing people who appeared to be foreign nationals getting off a coach.
The claim spread without evidence and eventually prompted people to gather outside the hotel.
Hampshire Constabulary said officers were sent to the hotel shortly before 6:30 p.m. BST following reports of a crowd.
Police said those present were concerned about a coach spotted in the area. Officers subsequently explained that the group’s assumption was incorrect.
“No offences were identified,” a police spokesperson said.
The crowd dispersed shortly before 9 p.m. BST, according to police.
The episode came just two days after a separate demonstration in Portsmouth in which hundreds of people reportedly blocked roads following the arrival of a boat carrying about 120 migrants.
Those migrants were subsequently taken to locations outside Hampshire for processing.
The proximity of the two incidents appears to have contributed to the confusion surrounding the Pakistani team’s arrival, although officials said there was no connection between the cricket team and the migrant group.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has checked on the wellbeing of the Pakistan under-19 squad, according to the BBC, and is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of the team’s tour.
The incident has also prompted concerns over the consequences of social media speculation, particularly when unverified claims involve identifiable groups of people.
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