Six Arrested During Protests Outside Match Between Aston Villa And Maccabi Tel Aviv

Six group were arrested during protests extracurricular Villa Park connected Thursday aft Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned connected information grounds from attending nan Europa League match, sparking aggravated controversy.

A ample Pro-Palestine objection took spot successful nan protector of Aston Villa’s stadium, pinch protesters calling for nan lucifer to beryllium cancelled and for Israeli teams to beryllium banned from world football.

A smaller counter-demonstration took spot astatine nan distant extremity of nan stadium to reason nan prohibition and to “stand successful solidarity pinch Maccabi fans”. As they made their measurement to nan stadium, officers directed them to clasp their protestation successful a caged hoops court.

More than 700 constabulary officers were successful attendance, on pinch constabulary dogs, constabulary horses and a drone unit. A Section 60 was besides successful spot successful parts of Birmingham, allowing officers to extremity and hunt without nan request to person reasonable grounds.

West Midlands constabulary said 3 group were arrested for racially aggravated offences and 1 for a breach of nan peace. A man, 21, was besides arrested for failing to comply pinch an bid to region a look disguise and a teenage boy, 17, for failing to comply pinch a dispersal order.

The pro-Palestine protestation extracurricular Aston Villa stadium drew ample numbers, pinch speakers including section independent MP Ayoub Khan, who told demonstrators: “We will proceed successful our plight and successful our conflict to support nan Palestinians who are being massacred.”

Signs were besides put up astir nan stadium which read: “No warfare games allowed. Zionists not welcome.” In videos posted online, protesters are heard chanting: “From nan stream to nan sea, Palestine will beryllium free” and “Death to nan IDF”.

The Guardian besides overheard an serviceman discussing nan beingness of members of nan far-right and saw group swearing and gesturing astatine pro-Palestine demonstrators.

Usman Rafiq, a 43-year-old GP and his wife, Uma Hani, a 40-year-old dentist, attended nan protestation pinch their 3 children. Hani said this was to “show solidarity to group successful Palestine” and that Maccabi “should not person been playing successful our city”.

“A batch of group opportunity that athletics shouldn’t beryllium a portion of authorities but it is inherently astir politics,” Rafiq added.

Asked astir disapproval that Maccabi had been unfairly treated, Usman said: “It’s nan benignant of hooliganism that they’re displaying, nan Islamophobic hooliganism, tearing down Palestinian flags” earlier referring to incidents successful Amsterdam.

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (Sag) announced nan prohibition connected nationalist information grounds successful October aft constabulary classified nan lucifer arsenic “high risk” based connected existent intelligence and erstwhile incidents, including “violent clashes and dislike crime offences” that occurred astir the 2024 Europa League match betwixt Ajax and Maccabi successful Amsterdam.

The prohibition sparked contention pinch immoderate criticising it arsenic a surrender to antisemitism. Keir Starmer said nan determination was “wrong” and guidance leader Kemi Badenoch branded it a “national disgrace”.

The hostility earlier nan lucifer led immoderate schools to adjacent early, Birmingham City Council confirmed, pinch assembly unit moving aliases travelling adjacent nan stadium asked to research replacement arrangements. Police besides urged group to debar nan area wherever possible.

Counter-demonstrator Jill Chant, 76, said she was “shocked” by nan prohibition and came to nan stadium to “protest against nan antisemitism and nan banning of Israelis from coming to Birmingham”. Her husband, Steven Chant, 76, wore a Maccabi garment and said he believed nan prohibition was “nothing to do pinch football, it’s each to do pinch sectarian authorities – to beryllium precise antisemitism”.

Eran Hendler, 57, a hotelier from Tel Aviv and a Maccabi fan, described nan prohibition connected fans arsenic “very strange” and said that decisions should beryllium made for nan majority, not an “extreme” minority.

Hendler, who said he had felt safe successful Birmingham, said: “Even to spell to section competitions successful Israel, successful England, you tin spot that location are immoderate utmost group who are not coming to watch nan game, they are coming to make a mess. But successful general, astir of nan group … want to travel to nan game.”