Anti-immigration protesters gathered outside a Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth, England, where Pakistan's U-19 cricket team was staying, after mistakenly believing the team members were asylum seekers. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, with around 30 people present before being dispersed by police and a local councillor from the Reform UK party who confirmed the identity of the team members. This is not the first anti-immigration protest in recent years, which have been sparked by the annual arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers from mainland Europe. A national organiser for the Stand Up To Racism organisation condemned the incident as a result of scapegoating refugees and migrants.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Anti-migrant protesters mistakenly targeted a hotel in Portsmouth, UK, where the Pakistani U-19 cricket team was staying. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, just 48 hours after a separate protest disrupted the disembarkation of migrants near the port city and turned violent. A group of anti-immigration protesters had gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Cosham, a suburb of Portsmouth, after seeing reports online about a coach with young Asian men on board. They were mistaken for asylum seekers, not realizing that they were actually members of a teenage cricket team from Pakistan. The protest was eventually dispersed by a local councillor from the anti-immigration party Reform UK, who confirmed the identity of the individuals and helped to calm the situation. This incident is part of a broader trend in Britain, where immigration has become a highly politicized issue, with many protests turning violent in recent years. The Pakistani U-19 team was in the country for a cricket tournament, while the senior team was competing against England at Birmingham's Edgbaston ground.
Written for “Anti-Migrant Protesters Clash” on 2026-09-10,
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Leaning score -0.65 for article 7548 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-10
Anti-immigration demonstrators in southern England massed outside a hotel where Pakistan’s U-19 cricket squad were staying after mistaking them for asylum seekers, British media reported on Wednesday.
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media → mass → Wednesday
The incident on Tuesday evening in a northern suburb of Portsmouth occurred some 48 hours after protesters disrupted the disembarkation of scores of migrants near the port city and confronted police in widely condemned scenes.
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protesters → occur → scenes
Immigration and the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers annually on small boats from mainland Europe has become a politically toxic issue in Britain, sparking numerous protests in recent years, some turning violent.
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some → become → years
Tuesday’s incident came after reports online about a coach with young Asian men on board being seen at a Marriott Hotel in the Portsmouth suburb of Cosham drew protestors to the venue, according to media reports.
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coach → come → reports
A councillor from anti-immigration party Reform UK went to the scene and helped disperse the crowd after confirming the men were in fact members of Pakistan’s teenage cricket team, The Guardian said.
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Guardian → go → team
The senior Pakistan men’s side are currently involved in the third Test against England at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground.
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side → involve → ground
A spokesman for Hampshire Police — which is responsible for the region — said the force “were notified that a group of people were starting to congregate” near the hotel Tuesday evening.
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group → say → hotel
“Officers subsequently attended and spoke to members of the public that had gathered who were expressing concerns about a coach that had been seen in the area,” the spokesman added.
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spokesman → attend → area
“The officers explained that their concerns were not correct,” the spokesman said, without confirming the Pakistan cricketers were the mistaken target.
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cricketers → explain → ?
He noted the crowd of around 30 people dispersed a short time later and no offences were identified.
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offences → note → people
Michael Bradley, a national organiser from the Stand Up To Racism organisation, condemned the incident as showing “where the scapegoating of refugees and migrants can lead”.
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scapegoating → stand → refugees
“When a Pakistan U-19’s team is faced by protests because it ‘might’ in fact be a group of migrants it means that effectively any group of black or Asian people coming into the city are being seen by the far right as a potential target,” he said.
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he → face → target
“It’s obvious where all this is going to end — racist attacks and more violence.”
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this → ’ → ?
