The incident came in the wake of two days of anti-migrant protests and scuffles in Portsmouth, where police clashed with protesters. A coalition of more than 150 civil society organizations condemned the increasing pattern of racist-fueled violence, saying that it should have never been allowed to reach this point.
A group of about 40 to 50 masked anti-migrant protesters gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth, prompted by social media "reports" that a group of asylum seekers had been taken there. The group of men billeted at the hotel were, in fact, the Pakistan Under-19 cricket team. Under-19 is Pakistan's national youth cricket team who were touring England to play a series of youth matches.
George Madgwick, a councillor for the right-wing party, Reform in the city reportedly mediated between staff and the assembled crowd. The group was said to have amassed after hearing reports that men who did not seem to be English were transported to the hotel by the same bus service that had moved asylum seekers who arrived by boat a few days earlier.
Several media reports noted that Madgwick called it a "massively unfortunate incident" but believed that the reaction was "understandable given recent coverage of asylum seekers arriving in the city via small boats."
Data from the UK Home Office indicate that in the year ending June 2026, the most common nationalities of people claiming asylum were Pakistani (10 percent), Eritrean (8 percent), Iranian (8 percent), Sudanese (7 percent) and Afghan (7 percent).
An estimated 1.5 million people of Pakistani origin live in the UK, comprising about 3 percent of the population.
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Not the first time for 'blind rage'
The organization Stand Up to Racism - Portsmouth slammed what they call a pattern of racism-fueled violence.
"This is not the first time that racists have reacted with blind rage to seeing or hearing about non-white people in the city. This is the pattern now. Racists are mobilizing angry mobs based on nothing more than hearsay and misinformation against innocent groups of non-white people in the city," the group said in a statement.
"We should point out that even if asylum seekers and migrants are being housed in the city, they do not deserve to be targeted by these rabid racists," Stand Up to Racism added.
Three years of escalating racist violence
A coalition of more than 150 civil society organizations released a statement condemning what they described as "the third consecutive year we have witnessed an escalation of racist violence, intimidation and hatred."
Last year, a wave of protests swept through the UK after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was accused and later convicted of sexual assault in the city of Epping. The movement later spread and intensified over the government’s use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.
The racist intimidation and hostility seen this weekend all over the UK – primarily targeting those seeking asylum – is where the UK government must draw a line. It is clear that those organizing and spearheading these attacks, riots and gatherings are deliberately seeking to create a threatening and intimidating atmosphere for racialized and minoritized communities," read the statement.
The violence has forced people to become afraid to perform everyday routines such as taking public transport, sending children to school, or praying.
"It should never have been allowed to get to this point," the group said.
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Two days of protests to 'stop the boats'
The Marriott Portsmouth incident follows two days of mass protests along the south coast over the weekend. In a statement, the Minister for Policing and Crime detailed the events as follows:
Saturday (September 5), 7:30am
- Around 150 individuals descended on the Port of Dover, wearing face coverings
- Kent Police deployed to the scene, which was described as a ‘no-notice’ protest.
- No arrests were made. Crowd eventually dispersed some hours later
- Full access to the port was restored
Sunday, September 6, afternoon
- A boat carrying approximately 120 people reached British waters near the Isle of Wight – considerably further west than the majority of small boat crossings
- The RNLI, under the direction of HM Coastguard, met the boat and directed it towards Eastney Marina in the wider Portsmouth area
- Around 8pm, a group of more than 200 protesters arrived at the harbor, intending to block three coaches which were due to take the arrivals for processing
- Many protesters were dressed in all black and wearing face masks
Officers clashed with protesters who became increasingly agitated. Officers were forced to use batons and PAVA spray to maintain order in the face of some aggression. The British newspaper The Guardian reported that police officers were pushed off motorbikes and had stones and bricks thrown at them.
The police are currently investigating potential assaults as well as criminal damage after official vehicles were damaged.
"Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democracy. And it must be defended. But so too is the right of other citizens to go about their lives without undue interference. And there can be no excuse for threatening behavior or serious disruption...those who cross the line from peaceful protest into illegality will face the full force of the law.," the Minister for Policing and Crime said.