Left-wing MP faces cries of ‘shame’ after comments on football fan ban | Politics | News
A hard-left MP faced cries of “shame” when he claimed that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were participating in the “Israeli genocide”. Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana sparked angry scenes in the House of Commons when she claimed “racist fan hooliganism cannot be separated from Israeli militarism”.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy harshly criticized the comments and warned Sultana that “conflating being Jewish with being Israeli is, I’m afraid, itself antisemitism.” Ms Sultana said: “Maccabi Tel Aviv’s racist fan hooliganism is inseparable from Israeli militarism. Many of these fans are active or former soldiers who participated in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“They should be investigated for war crimes the moment they set foot on British soil, they should not be welcome in our stadiums.
“Let’s be clear, the Labor Government is not an innocent bystander. It weaponised Israel’s genocide, provided diplomatic cover and disgracefully denied that genocide was even taking place.
“Is there anything this Labor Government will not do to defend the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel?”
Miss Sultana said “shame” and “what?” He was met with screams. while giving his speech.
Ms Nandy hit back: “He is not doing the people of Birmingham any favors with this kind of rhetoric.
“This is exactly what the honorable gentleman was talking about when it came to his conflation between all Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters and the actions of the Israeli government, blaming British citizens who in many cases support Maccabi Tel Aviv for actions taking place in the Middle East.
“To confuse being Jewish and Israeli, I am afraid to say, is antisemitism in itself.
“I think he should be more careful with his words.”
Local authorities announced last week that Maccabi fans would not be able to attend the match in Birmingham on November 6, with West Midlands Police classifying the match as high risk based on “available intelligence and previous incidents”.
The police drew attention to the violent clashes and hate crime incidents that occurred in the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv played in Amsterdam in 2024.
Sir Keir Starmer described the bar fans’ attendance as “wrong” and said “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”, while the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats and UK Reform Party also criticized the decision.
Downing Street said the UK Football Policing Unit was “reaching out” to Israeli authorities on Sunday “to understand what happened”.
Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan said in a post on
He demanded the Prime Minister apologize to West Midlands chief constable Craig Guildford, adding: “It’s disgraceful that not a single politician in Birmingham stands by his decision.”
The government expects West Midlands Police to determine early next week what they will need to safely police the game with both sets of fans present.
And Ms Nandy said sources would not determine whether Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans would be able to attend a match in Birmingham next month.
Responding to an urgent question from the Conservative Party, he told the House of Commons: “This decision was not taken in a vacuum. It comes against the backdrop of rising antisemitism here and around the world and the attack on a synagogue in Manchester in which two innocent men were killed.”
“It has a real-world impact on a community that already feels excluded and fearful, so it is entirely legitimate to support the independence of the police to carry out this risk assessment and to question the outcome when they exclude those at the heart of this risk.
“Following the decision taken last week, the Government has been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to support them in considering all available options and to tell us what resources are needed to manage the risks to ensure fans from both teams can attend the game safely.
“If the assessment is revised, the security advisory group will meet again to discuss options.”
He added: “It is not the Government’s role to assess the risks surrounding this football match, but we are clear that resources will not be the deciding factor in whether Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will be admitted and that this fundamental principle that no one in our country should be excluded from participating in public life because of who they are must be upheld.”
