West Midlands police are deploying 700 officers to cover the match, with protests against the Israeli team’s participation expected
November 6, 2025 13:48
Anonymous activists have plastered “zionists not welcome” signs and Palestinian flags around Birmingham, as the city braces for tonight’s Europa League clash between Aston Villa and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Footage shared on social media showed a group of men with their faces covered, wearing head-to-toe black, hanging signs bearing slogans like “If you see a Zionist, call the anti-terror hotline #ZionistsNotWelcome” and “shooting babies in Gaza, playing games in Birmingham”.
Responding to the footage, independent peer, JC director and lifelong Aston Villa fan, Lord Austin, said: "This is a hate crime against Jews. I expect the police to urgently investigate and find the culprits. The local authority needs to be out immediately to remove these despicable signs."
On Monday, West Midlands Police announced they were mounting a “large policing operation” to cover the match, including 700 officers, police horses, police dogs, a drone unit, road policing unit and protest liaison officers.
Birmingham Police commander, chief superintendent Tom Joyce, said: “We remain committed to maintaining the city’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
“Anyone who breaks the law will be dealt with directly, as will those who incite hate.”
Thursday’s fixture became a topic of national debate last month when Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches, made up of representatives of the police, Birmingham City Council, fire and ambulance services – announced that no Maccabi fans would be permitted at the match, on safety grounds.
Despite pushback from senior politicians – including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch – the ban has remained in place.
In November last year, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were attacked in Amsterdam in what supporters described as a “pogrom”. It later emerged that the attack was premeditated, with perpetrators referring to it as a “Jew hunt”.
Since then, some anti-Israel voices have sought to flip the narrative and shift the blame for the violence on the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
Earlier this week, the Middle East Eye published an article claiming that UK police banned Maccabi fans from the match following warnings from Dutch police that they were "experienced fighters" with links to the IDF, "highly organised" and "intent on causing serious violence".
However Labour peer and former independent advisor to the government on antisemitism, Lord Mann, hit back saying: “This is entirely fictitious. I met the chief of police in Amsterdam and was given access to their reports.”
Commenting on the acrimony around tonight’s match, Lord Austin said: "What should have been an exciting night of European football has been turned into a circus of extremism and antisemitism.
“Politicians and so-called community leaders, including an imam, have whipped this up and should be ashamed for their role in spreading division and fear in Birmingham."
Shadow sports minister Louie French echoed these thoughts, adding: "Aston Villa are a fantastic football club with a proud history. But tonight’s match against Maccabi Tel Aviv is taking place under a dark cloud of hatred towards Israelis and Jews, which has evidently been whipped up for months by sectarian politics and the local MP.
“There should be no place in British sports or Parliament for this vile antisemitism.”
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