Stopping Israeli football fans from attending a match in Birmingham has raised fresh concerns about Britain’s ability to protect the Jewish community – two weeks after the deadly terror attack on a Manchester synagogue.
West Midlands Police decided that stopping Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from going to their team’s Europa League match against Aston Villa next month was the best way of dealing with fears of unrest and potential protests.
The force did reference concerns around “hate crime offences”, but implied the Israeli fans could be responsible for those too.
Officers have partly cited the fact Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were caught up in clashes involving pro-Palestinian protesters when attending a game against Ajax last year.
And in response to follow-up questions, they’ve stood by this call “based on current intelligence and previous incidents” – even after Sir Keir Starmer called it the “wrong decision”.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” he said.
It was a strong prime ministerial rebuke to the police, telling them all fans should be able to enjoy the match without fearing “violence or intimidation”.
The Jewish Leadership Council, which works to protect British Jews, and the Campaign Against Antisemitism also criticised the move.
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The swift intervention from the PM came amid a brewing diplomatic row, after the Israeli government called for the police’s decision to be reversed.
European football’s governing body, UEFA, had backed away from a vote on kicking Israeli teams out of its competitions as the Gaza peace plan took shape last week – and the Trump administration told Sky News it would work to fight any suspension.
This ban on fans going to Villa Park, overseen by a Labour-run council, implies Birmingham has become unsafe for Israelis and authorities cannot protect them coming to a football match.
If that’s the case, could Birmingham – which wants to host matches at the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup – hold a major international sports event again?
