Group entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrants – BBC News
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Crowd gathers after Pakistani cricket team mistaken for migrants
By Carrie Davies, Pakistan correspondent and Stuart Rust, South of England
Published 1 hour ago
A group of people reached the hotel floor where members of the Pakistan under-19 cricket team were staying after protesters wrongly believed they were migrants, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said.
About 30 to 40 people congregated at the Marriott Hotel in Cosham, Portsmouth, on Tuesday evening after false rumours circulated that a coach carrying migrants had arrived.
Sumair Syed, chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said the team reported people "knocking on their doors" during the incident, but the players "behaved responsibly and didn’t escalate the situation".
Hampshire Police said officers found no offences had been committed, and the crowd dispersed by about 21:00 BST. The team went on to play a scheduled match the following day, Syed said.
He described the incident as "unfortunate" but assured that measures were being taken for the security of the visiting team, stating:
"This is the responsibility of the whole sport to ensure the safety, security and well-being of the visiting team."
Councillor George Madgwick, who attended the scene, told the BBC hotel staff had shown him "proof" the guests were the touring cricket team. He urged people online not to attend, saying:
"It wasn’t based on truth or fact."
Responding to criticism, Madgwick denied any racist undertones, stating:
"I think one person made the assumption and everybody else followed that assumption."
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reviewed security arrangements for the remainder of the Pakistan under-19s tour.
