Britain’s Labour government has launched an unprecedented effort to overturn a police-imposed ban preventing supporters of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv football team from attending a match against Aston Villa.
Scheduled for November 6, Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) announced last week that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans would not be allowed to attend. Aston Villa was informed of this ruling on October 16. West Midland’s Police (WMP) supported the ban, stating it “will help mitigate risks to public safety.”
Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city, hosts a significant Muslim community that has been actively involved in nationwide protests and demonstrations over the past two years opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.
Considering the violent history of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s supporters—many of whom are “ultra” hooligans with known connections to the Israeli state and military—any decision allowing their attendance would have been ill-advised.
West Midlands Police stated in their October 16 announcement, “While the Safety Certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending… we have classified the upcoming Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv fixture as high risk.”
The police highlighted, “This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.”
In attempts to overturn the ban, a government representative dismissed the risk assessment by claiming, “No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are.” This is astonishing given that the fascistic hooligans backing Maccabi Tel Aviv specifically target Muslims—making it very important who they are.
During their violent outbreak in Amsterdam on November 6-7, Maccabi’s hooligans terrorized local Muslim communities and opponents of the genocide, destroying Palestinian flags, attacking taxis driven by Arabic drivers with crowbars, and chanting genocidal slogans such as “There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left,” “F*ck Palestine,” “IDF [Israel Defense Forces] f*ck the Arabs,” and “Death to Arabs! We will win.”
This followed a March incident where a man bearing a Palestinian flag was assaulted and hospitalized prior to a game against Olympiacos in Athens by a group of Maccabi supporters.
Similar hateful chants echoed in Bucharest, Romania, during July when hooligans from another Israeli club, Beitar Jerusalem, were permitted to visit.
Despite outcry from the government, media, and opposition Conservatives over accusations of antisemitism linked to the ban, concerns voiced about allowing Maccabi’s violent supporters into Birmingham have been clearly justified.
On Sunday evening, Tel Aviv police had to cancel a local derby between Maccabi and their rivals Hapoel before kickoff as riots erupted both inside and outside Bloomfield Stadium. Police reported 12 injuries due to smoke grenades and pyrotechnics thrown by rioters. They described the event as “not a soccer game, this is a breach of order and serious violence,” with three officers injured, leading to termination of the match over “risks to human life.”
British law mandates that local authorities form a Safety Advisory Group comprising police, fire services, ambulance providers, and other experts to assess public safety for events. In Birmingham, this group is responsible for protecting the wellbeing of over a million residents.
Aston Villa’s management, overseeing tens of thousands of fans at both domestic and European matches, harbored concerns about hosting Maccabi Tel Aviv. Many of the club’s supporters and staff, including stewards, are Muslim.
The BBC reported on Saturday that, on October 3, Aston Villa informed stewards assigned to the Maccabi match that “we appreciate that some of you may have concerns about attending work” and that those scheduled could “submit a one-off absence request.”
The SAG and police decision was swiftly condemned by the government, under pressure from Zionist organizations, as an act of “antisemitism.” Before WMP’s statement was even released, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the ban in an X post, referencing a BBC News article.
Starmer asserted, “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.”
Downing Street confirmed efforts “to reverse” the ban “quickly across government.” A spokesperson explained, “The government is coordinating with police and other partners to do all possible to allow the game to proceed safely with all fans present. We are evaluating what additional support and resources are necessary for fan attendance.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the ban, calling on UK authorities to “reverse this cowardly decision!” Meanwhile, the UK Zionist group Campaign Against Anti-Semitism threatened legal challenges.
The right-wing press has inundated pages with calls to lift the ban. The Telegraph editorial, “If police chiefs can’t police, they must resign,” argued, “Our forces have effectively conceded that they are unable to guarantee the safety of Jewish fans in a British city.”
Painting the Maccabi hooligans as victims, it criticized widespread anti-Israel protests as “virulently anti-Semitic” and claimed such demonstrations likely attracted troublemakers intent on confrontation.
The Daily Express ran a bold front-page headline quoting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stating, “there are parts of Britain where Jews cannot go,” denouncing the ban as “a national disgrace.”
Zarah Sultana MP, who left Labour earlier this year to co-lead a new left party alongside Jeremy Corbyn, voiced support for the ban on X, saying, “Next UEFA must ban all Israeli teams. We cannot have normalisation with genocide and apartheid.”
In a disturbing response, senior Daily Express journalist Christian Calgie posted on X, “Cannot wait until my taxes no longer fund Zarah’s salary.” When another user commented about deporting Zarah, Calgie replied, “Even better.”
Following an intense backlash over calls to deport an elected MP, Calgie deleted his posts and announced a pause from X to “prioritise my mental health.” The Express issued no apology.
Ayoub Khan, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, who moved from the Liberal Democrats to support Corbyn’s Independent group over Gaza, has warned of legal action following accusations of antisemitism due to his backing of the ban.
The Starmer government’s provocative move to overturn a ban intended to prevent potential disorder and safeguard lives in a major UK city reveals its ongoing alignment with Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and suppression of democratic dissent.
Throughout this genocide, both the Sunak and Starmer administrations have repeatedly invoked the police’s “operational independence” while enforcing harsh, Downing Street-coordinated restrictions on protests condemning the Gaza genocide.
Just before expressing opposition to the ban, Starmer visited the London headquarters of the Zionist group the Community Security Trust (CST), announcing an additional £10 million government grant, on top of £72 million allocated for 2024-28. During the visit, Starmer condemned the popular anti-genocide chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” labelling it “clearly antisemitic” and stating “we need to deal with… much more robustly, in my view.”
The government is considering bans on chants combined with harsh new legal measures addressing the “cumulative impact” of protests. These are aimed at the more than 30 national demonstrations held in London and thousands across other cities opposing genocide and mass killings. Authorities seek to either outlaw protests altogether or impose constraints so severe they become futile.
Original article: www.wsws.org
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