Protesters gathered outside four-star hotel after mistaking Pakistani cricket team for ‘migrants’
Around 40 to 50 people stood outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth on Tuesday evening.
A crowd of people gathered to protest outside a four-star hotel mistakenly believed migrants were staying there when instead it was the Under 19 Pakistani cricket team, a Reform UK councillor has said.
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Around 40 to 50 people stood outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth – where rooms often cost more than £120 a night – on Tuesday evening, a day after demonstrators tried to block migrants being driven away for processing in the port city.
Hampshire County Council Reform UK councillor George Madgwick posted on social media that residents asked him to come to the hotel before he agreed to meet with the hotel’s management.
In a now-deleted post, 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 said he spoke to the crowd outside to confirm to them it was the cricket team and they “immediately (the crowd) respectfully accepted that” and were gone 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.”
The councillor said that the Government needs to understand why things like this happen, adding: “If the government don’t get a grip on this boat crisis we will see this more and more.”
He said the protesters were not “bad people” but instead care deeply about their community.
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.”
They added: "Rather than condemn the small crowd's knee-jerk racist response to a perfectly ordinary situation, Madgwick made excuses for them.
"The deluded group did finally disperse after he relayed to them what he had been told by hotel staff and the team coach."
It is understood the England and Wales Cricket Board has checked on wellbeing of the Pakistani under-19 team, and is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of their tour.
LBC has contacted Reform UK and Marriott for comment.