Police commissioner calls for review of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans’ ban from UK match after PM’s criticism – politics live | Politics
West Midlands police commissioner calls for review of whether Maccabi fan ban ‘reasonable and proportionate’
Simon Foster, the Labour West Midlands police and crime commissioner, has called for a review of the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the match.
In a lengthy statement, he says:
I have today requested, Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group (‘SAG’) and West Midlands Police (‘WMP’), convene a Special SAG, at the earliest possible opportunity and conduct an immediate review of the decision, to prohibit the attendance of away fans at the football match, between Aston Villa FC v Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, on Thursday 6 November.
The purpose of my request for a review, is to enable the SAG and WMP to determine, whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. That must include consideration, of all and any suitable, alternative options.
Foster says he wants an assurance that the decision is “appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and proportionate” and that an alternative solution is not possible.
But he also says that ultimately this is a matter for the council’s SAG and the operational judgment of the police.
And he says “the safety and security of all the people and communities of the West Midlands, including visitors to the West Midlands,” is his top priority.
Key events
Freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says Maccabi ban shows ‘blatant antisemitism has become norm’
Emily Damari, the British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for more than 15 months after the 7 October massacre and released in January, has issued a statement strongly condemning the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the Europa League match. She says, as a Maccabi fan, she is personally affected.
She says:
I am shocked to my core with this outrageous decision to ban me, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa game in the UK.
Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.
Shame on you. I hope you come to your senses and reconsider.
do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying: “No Jews allowed.”
What has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.
West Midlands police commissioner calls for review of whether Maccabi fan ban ‘reasonable and proportionate’
Simon Foster, the Labour West Midlands police and crime commissioner, has called for a review of the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the match.
In a lengthy statement, he says:
I have today requested, Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group (‘SAG’) and West Midlands Police (‘WMP’), convene a Special SAG, at the earliest possible opportunity and conduct an immediate review of the decision, to prohibit the attendance of away fans at the football match, between Aston Villa FC v Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, on Thursday 6 November.
The purpose of my request for a review, is to enable the SAG and WMP to determine, whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. That must include consideration, of all and any suitable, alternative options.
Foster says he wants an assurance that the decision is “appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and proportionate” and that an alternative solution is not possible.
But he also says that ultimately this is a matter for the council’s SAG and the operational judgment of the police.
And he says “the safety and security of all the people and communities of the West Midlands, including visitors to the West Midlands,” is his top priority.
How West Midlands police defends its support for ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending match
Here is the full statement from West Midlands police explaining why it wants Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to be banned from attending the Europa League match.
West Midlands Police has a strong track record of successfully policing football matches and other high-risk public events.
We are committed to delivering fair and impartial policing, while balancing the public’s right to protest with our duty to ensure public safety.
Following a thorough assessment, we have classified the upcoming Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv fixture as high risk.
We have actively engaged with a wide range of local partners and community representatives in preparation for this fixture, and continue to participate in the Safety Advisory Group.
While the Safety Certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.
This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Amsterdam.
Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety.
We remain steadfast in our support all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms.
Israeli foreign minister calls match ban for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ‘shameful’
Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign minister, has described the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Europa League match in Birmingham as “shameful” and urged the UK authorities to reverse it.
‘People ask, what does antisemitism look like?’ – Maccabi chief executive says match ban sends worrying message about UK
Jack Angelides, chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv, told the Today programme that he would have expected more than 1,000 fans to attend the Europa League match in Birmingham.
He said he felt some “dismay” about the decision the ban on his team’s supporters attending. He explained:
I do think this is an extremely important moment because of what it signifies.
I don’t use this term lightly but people ask ‘what does antisemitism look like?’ And it’s often manifested as part of a process, a process, in other words, small events leading up to something that’s more sinister.
Angelides also said there are fans of the club living in Britain, “and they’re being told that in their own country it is not safe for them to come to watch a football match”.
He said that the team had played matches in countries like Turkey, where there is a lot of anti-Israeli sentiment, where the police could ensure there were no problem. “So I do find it somewhat difficult why this has come to pass” he said.
[This] also begs the question a little bit to be honest – well, there is a delegation coming of management, of players, and all the supporting staff, are we saying that they will be secure also or that there are issues with them?
Asked if he felt they would be secure, Angelides said he trusted the authorities and has not heard anything suggestion they would be at risk.
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa’s Jewish Villans supporters’ club, told the Today programme this morning that the decision to stop Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the Europa League match in Birmingham sent a “really worrying message” about British society.
He said:
It’s obviously about much wider issues surrounding the Gaza war, and that sends a really worrying message about British society – that we aren’t civilised enough to have a debate over this without it descending into football violence or violent attacks on fans who are coming from another country just because we disagree with that country’s policies. It just makes a very febrile political situation worse I think.
He also dismissed suggestions that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were likely to engage in violence.
There’s no evidence of Maccabi’s fans being particularly violent. They don’t have a track record in all of their previous European games of having a violent fan group. So really this is a political message rather than a safety message.
The police have cited what happened when Maccabi fans attended a Europa League match in Amsterdam in November last year as being one reason why they should not attend the Birmingham match. The rioting that took place around the Amsterdam match included attacks on the Israeli fans that the mayor of the city to described as bringing back “memories of pogroms”. But the Maccabi supporters were also accused of provocative behaviour, such as pulling down a Palestinian flag and chanting “we will fuck the Arabs”. This is what Jon Henley wrote at the time explaining what happened.
Ministers to explore reversing ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending UK match after PM’s criticism
Good morning. Yesterday it emerged that fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on 6 November owing to safety concerns. The decision was taken by Birmingham’s safety advisory group, based on advice from the West Midlands police, who said the match would be “high risk” based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”. There is more on the announcement here.
The decision prompted widespread condemnation from political leaders. Keir Starmer said:
This is the wrong decision.
We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.
Kemi Badenoch went further, saying:
This is a national disgrace.
How have things come to this?
Starmer pledged that Jews are welcome and safe in Britain. That he stands shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community and will use the full force of his government to prove it.
Will he back those words with action and guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country?
If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go.
And Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said:
A serious mistake by WM Police. You don’t tackle antisemitism by banning its victims. This decision must be reversed.
And Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: “This takes racial discrimination to a whole new level.”
But the decision has been welcomed by Ayoub Khan, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, the constituency where the match will take place. He organised a petition calling for the match to be either cancelled, relocated or held behind closed doors and last night he put out a statement saying:
From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage.
With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures.
Khan is one of the five independent MPs elected at the last election wholly or partly because of their outright opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and his petition suggests that his opposition to the match going ahead is motivated as much by the desire to make a political point about Israel’s conduct as by concerns about the risk of violence. The petition cites three reasons why the match should not go ahead. One is the “track record of violence by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans”, but the others are the “ongoing genocide in Gaza” and the “wider European context”. The petition says:
As Israel continues its assault on Gaza, killing thousands and devastating civilian infrastructure, sporting fixtures involving Israeli teams cannot be separated from the wider political context. Hosting such teams sends a message of normalisation and indifference to mass atrocities.
The petition has been signed by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, who is another of the independent MPs in the Independent Alliance. Another MP in that group, Iqbal Mohamed, has welcomed the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans on claiming the police have “put the safety of Aston Villa fans, Birmingham residents and the British public above the zionist and political pressure to let Israeli hooligans and terrorists run riot in our country”.
Will the decision stand? Perhaps not. This morning Ian Murray, the culture secretary, said ministers will be trying to see if there is a way of ensuring that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans can attend the match. He told Sky News:
[The decision is] just completely and utterly unacceptable, and the prime minister has said we will do everything we possibly can to resolve this issue.
It’s an operational issue for the police, and government doesn’t get involved in operational issues for the police.
But I know the culture secretary [Lisa Nandy] will be meeting with the Home Office and other stakeholders today to try and see if there’s a way through this.
I will post more on this shortly.
The Commons is not sitting today, but here are the things we are expecting.
9.30am: The ONS publishes figures for drug-related deaths in England and Wales.
9.35am: Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver speaks at the Confederation of School Trusts annual conference.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit in London.
Morning: Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, is on a visit in Wokingham.
Morning: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is making an announcement about air quality.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
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