Birmingham

West Midlands Police cited fictitious match in report ahead of Maccabi game

Senior officers from the force made the admission to a parliamentary committee

Police advice on Maccabi fan ban in question again after violence by supporters of Swiss club at Villa Park

Politicians and Jewish leaders ask why BSC Young Boys fans were allowed in Birmingham last night despite previous clashes

Amsterdam Mayor says she ‘does not recognise’ Birmingham police claim about violent Maccabi fans

Femke Halsema rejects key claims attributed to Dutch authorities by West Midlands Police about what happened during the Maccabi-Ajax match

Manchester police chief criticises decision to ban Maccabi fans

‘I think banning generally is problematic, both practically and tactically’, said Sir Stephen Watson

West Midlands Police repeat claims ‘trashed by the Dutch police’ in letter to key parliamentary committee

Conservative MP Nick Timothy echoed calls for the police to publish all information used to justify Maccabi fan ban

West Midlands Police relied on ‘false intelligence’ for Maccabi ban, say Dutch authorities

Amsterdam police spokesman said he was “surprised” by the allegations of Israeli violence

Letters to the Editor, November 14 2025

Birmingham is the front line of the fight for the soul of our nation

When local authorities and police retreat in the face of extremists, it risks a spiral of fear and grievance. At all levels, national, devolved and local, the state needs to wake up

Birmingham Labour councillor suggested Starmer is biased in favour of Israel ‘because his wife is Jewish’

Bushra Bi apologised for her remarks and said she was committed to ‘ensuring it does not happen again’