Birmingham

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

By Phil Rosenberg

3 min read

Birmingham

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

By Lorin Bell-Cross

3 min read

Pro-Palestinian protesters outside Villa Park in Birmingham on November 6 (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Revealed: Pro-Palestine mob plotted to hunt down Maccabi players

By Jane Prinsley

2 min read

Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa runs with the ball in front of a half-empty stadium during the match against Maccabi Tel Aviv (Photo: Getty)

Football

Maccabi Tel Aviv may have lost to Villa but they turned up, and showed that the people of Israel live

By Ari Sheldon

2 min read

West Midlands Police deployed 700 officers for the Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv match (Photo: Getty)

Sport

Police must explain ‘lamentable’ decisions over Maccabi-Villa match, say politicians

By Jane Prinsley

4 min read

Police arrive ahead of the Uefa match between Aston Villa and Lille at Villa Park on April (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Fifty police officers sent to guard synagogues ahead of Aston Villa match

By Jane Prinsley

3 min read

Birmingham

Anti-Israel activists plaster Birmingham in ‘zionists not welcome’ signs as city braces for Villa-Maccabi clash

By Siam Goorwich

2 min read

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West Midlands Police to deploy 700 officers for Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv match

The force will use police dogs and a drone unit to ‘maintain Birmingham’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place for everyone’

By Siam Goorwich

2 min read

November 6, 2025 10:58

Former jihadi calls on ‘all Muslims’ to descend on Villa Park – but to leave guns and machetes at home

Shahid Butt added that balaclavas were not necessary either ‘unless you’ve got a bit of a sensitive job’

By Jamie Shapiro

2 min read

November 5, 2025 17:21

Former jihadi Shahid Butt issues advice to Muslims planning to protest the Maccabi-Aston Villa match

By Fiyaz Mughal

Birmingham has a long history of social segregation and Islamism

Britain must decide whether appeasement will continue to masquerade as prudence, or whether we are ready at last to confront Islamist intimidation directly and without apology

4 min read

October 22, 2025 14:31

Asrar Rashid who said 'we will not show them rahma [mercy] in Birmingham (Picture: YouTube/ Asrir Rashid)

Truth about the toxic, fake-news driven campaign to ban Israeli fans from Birmingham

One preacher said ‘we will show them no mercy’

By Jane Prinsley

4 min read

October 22, 2025 10:14

Campaign against the trip to Villa Park by Maccabi fans: Rashid (left), a post by Sadiq (centre) and Khan

Revealed: Anti-Israel views of ‘safety’ committee members who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans

Labour’s Waseem Zaffar and Lib Dem Mumtaz Hussain both favoured excluding the Israeli team altogether

By Lorin Bell-Cross

5 min read

October 21, 2025 16:22

Waseem Zaffar MBE (left) and Mumtaz Hussain and Villa Park stadium ahead of a match (Images: Getty, X)

Culture secretary suggests pro-Gaza MP is ‘behaving in a way that is antisemitic’ over Maccabi fan ban

Lisa Nandy slammed MPs who suggested that all of the club’s fans, who have been banned from attending an upcoming match against Aston Villa, were hooligans

By Lorin Bell-Cross

4 min read

October 21, 2025 11:13

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in the Commons (Image: Parliament TV).

By Elliot Ludvig

As a Jewish Aston Villa fan, I am worried for my city

Since October 7, our life in Birmingham has never felt more precarious

2 min read

October 20, 2025 11:44

‘No mercy’ for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, vows Birmingham-based Islamic preacher in video

Asrar Rashid has 11,000 followers on X and 98,000 subscribers on YouTube

By JC Reporter

1 min read

October 17, 2025 16:42

Asrar Rashid said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans would be shown 'no mercy' in Birmingham (Picture: YouTube/ Asrir Rashid)

I’m a Jewish Villa fan – I’m afraid to let my son wear his Magen David after Maccabi ban

West Midlands police have faced significant backlash from the Jewish community over the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League clash at Villa Park next month

By Jane Prinsley

3 min read

October 17, 2025 15:13

Six-year-old Jonah had been excited to watch the Maccabi Tel Aviv versus Aston Villa match next month, but after Israeli fans were banned, his father says the family is now concentrating on how to attend safely

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Birmingham

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

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

Revealed: Pro-Palestine mob plotted to hunt down Maccabi players

Maccabi Tel Aviv may have lost to Villa but they turned up, and showed that the people of Israel live

Police must explain ‘lamentable’ decisions over Maccabi-Villa match, say politicians

Fifty police officers sent to guard synagogues ahead of Aston Villa match

Anti-Israel activists plaster Birmingham in ‘zionists not welcome’ signs as city braces for Villa-Maccabi clash

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More from Birmingham

West Midlands Police to deploy 700 officers for Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv match

Former jihadi calls on ‘all Muslims’ to descend on Villa Park – but to leave guns and machetes at home

Birmingham has a long history of social segregation and Islamism

Truth about the toxic, fake-news driven campaign to ban Israeli fans from Birmingham

Revealed: Anti-Israel views of ‘safety’ committee members who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans

Culture secretary suggests pro-Gaza MP is ‘behaving in a way that is antisemitic’ over Maccabi fan ban

As a Jewish Aston Villa fan, I am worried for my city

‘No mercy’ for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, vows Birmingham-based Islamic preacher in video

I’m a Jewish Villa fan – I’m afraid to let my son wear his Magen David after Maccabi ban