Clown gatecrasher sparks cruise ship 'mass brawl'

Britannia cruise ship berthed in the Port of Southampton UK P&O company. Photo / Getty Images

British media reports say six people have been assaulted onboard a P&O cruise ship after a passenger dressed as a clown sparked a brawl.

Richard Gaisford, an ITV journalist who was onboard the cruise ship travelling from Bergen, Norway, to Southampton, England, said security staff rushed to the buffet restaurant onboard after the late-night melee.

He tweeted Saturday that the brawl apparently started when a "passenger dressed as a clown" upset a group of passengers.

“There was blood everywhere”. Violent late night brawl in the buffet onboard @pocruises Britannia left staff who intervened injured, as passengers used furniture and plates as weapons. Witnesses told me they were so frightened they had to hide, as family groups fought.

— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019

"There was blood everywhere," Gaisford wrote. He said that witnesses told him they were so frightened they had to hide, with furniture and plates being used as weapons.

A P&O Cruises spokesman said all passengers have disembarked from the Britannia ship and police are investigating.

One witness, part of a group involved in the trouble, explained to staff that things kicked off when another passenger appeared dressed as a clown. This upset one of their party because they’d specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress. It led to a violent confrontation.

— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019

The buffet area was immediately sealed off as medical teams went to help the injured. Staff told me they’d never experienced anything like it and those behind the violence were confined to a cabin for the last day of the cruise, waiting for police here in Southampton.

— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) July 27, 2019

The Guardian quoted Hampshire Police as saying that six people - three women and three men - were assaulted in the incident, which took place in the early hours of Friday. Police said two people were arrested.

Gaisford wrote that he was told that the clown costume had offended one party involved, as they had specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress.