PORTSMOUTH, England (Diya TV) — A crowd gathered outside a Portsmouth hotel Tuesday after false claims circulated online that migrants had arrived by coach. The guests were members of Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team.
About 30 to 40 people gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Cosham, according to Reform county councillor George Madgwick.
Hampshire Constabulary said officers responded shortly before 6:30 p.m. BST after receiving reports of a gathering outside the hotel. Police said people at the scene raised concerns about a coach in the area, but officers determined the information was incorrect.
Police said no offenses were identified and the crowd dispersed shortly before 9 p.m.
Madgwick said he spoke with hotel management and was shown confirmation that the guests were Pakistan’s touring under-19 cricket team. He later urged people not to gather outside the hotel.
Madgwick said the claims appeared to begin after a photograph of people leaving a coach was posted online and incorrectly linked to migrant arrivals.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said some members of the group entered the hotel and reached the floor where the players were staying. PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Syed said people knocked on players’ doors during the incident.
The team played its scheduled match the following day.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has since checked on the team’s welfare and is reviewing security arrangements for the remainder of the tour.
The incident came two days after hundreds of protesters gathered in Portsmouth following the arrival of a boat carrying about 120 migrants. Those migrants were later transported outside Hampshire for processing.
Portsmouth North MP Amanda Martin said the hotel incident resulted from misinformation and called for public discussion about immigration to be based on verified information.
