West Midlands Police (WMP) advice has been called into question again in the wake of violent clashes by supporters of a Swiss football team at Villa Park just weeks after a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
Two away fans were arrested at last night's Aston Villa’s Europa League fixture against BSC Young Boys, according to WMP.
The travelling fans threw objects including broken seats and coins at players and police, and officers were assaulted in the course of the chaos.
Jewish leaders and parliamentarians are now asking why the advice given by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), whose members including WMP personnel, allowed the fixture to go ahead, despite previous violence by fans of the Swiss club, in contrast to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.
Villa forward Donyell Malen was hit in the head by a plastic cup thrown by the Swiss supporters.
The two away fans were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer.
Labour peer Lord Mann said in post on X: “As I pointed out before, Young Boys rioted in January and September.”
He added: “West Midlands risk assessment report will be of some interest now”.
A Jewish Leadership Council spokesperson told the JC that authorities in Birmingham “must explain why Young Boys supporters were allowed to attend yesterday’s match at Villa, while Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned fans on the basis of false intelligence.”
“As Young Boys fans, who have an extensive record of hooliganism, attacked both the police and Villa players, the double standard became impossible to ignore.”
The statement continued: “It is difficult to resist the conclusion that authorities in the West Midlands capitulated to those who reject the very presence of an Israeli team in Birmingham. Serious questions remain about their ability to make decisions in the best interest of fan safety and community cohesion."
The disorder comes as the JC can reveal that pro-Gaza independent MP Ayoub Khan – who started a petition to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv told a leading Pakistani news channel that he considered the prohibition of the Israeli fans from the fixture on 6 November to be a “victory”.
During the interview, which took place on November 19, Khan said: “It is very big victory in my opinion, look, the victory is of truth and justice and if this was our argument or these extremist fans come here, then things will become quite serious for us.”
In the interview, Khan praised WMP and the local SAG for not reversing the decision to ban Maccabi fans despite the prime minister’s criticism of their actions.
When ban was announced, Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X: “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.”
Khan said that the use of antisemitism was “a tactic to reverse the decision, and it has failed because our chief constable and the safety advisory group have completely on their decision … remained steadfast”.
Reacting to the disorder in Birmingham on Thursday night, Khan said: “This behaviour is abhorrent! According to some MP’s this is normal. There’s nothing ‘normal’ about football hooliganism. It’s disgraceful, outdated, and has no place in today’s game. We’re not living in the 1970s anymore — time to act like it!”
West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council have been contacted for comment.
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