Fans of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club have now reportedly been banned from traveling to Birmingham, England, for next month’s Europa League match against Aston Villa, a move that has ignited outrage from government officials and Jewish organizations, who denounced it as a capitulation to antisemitism.
The decision, made by Birmingham’s city council on the advice of local police, cited security threats ahead of the Nov. 6 match and fears of potential violence.
Authorities pointed to “current intelligence and previous incidents,” including riots during last year’s Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Ajax in Amsterdam, which led to about 60 arrests and dozens of injuries.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply condemned the decision and said his government was working to reverse it. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation,” Starmer said.
West Midlands Police, however, maintained that their recommendation was based on safety concerns, citing both recent intelligence and the prior clashes in the Netherlands, where mobs chased and beat Israeli fans through the streets after videos surfaced showing Maccabi supporters pulling down a Palestinian flag.
Jewish community leaders said the move sends a dangerous signal. The Jewish Leadership Council called it “perverse” that British authorities would block Israelis from attending a match rather than protect them. “It is unacceptable that Jewish fans should be punished because the police cannot guarantee their safety,” the group said in a statement.
The decision has laid bare growing tensions in the U.K. surrounding Israel’s war with Hamas and the rise in antisemitic incidents that have followed. Birmingham, where roughly 30 percent of residents identify as Muslim according to the 2021 census, has hosted some of the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the country since the Gaza conflict began.
Some local politicians applauded the ban. Ayoub Khan, a Birmingham lawmaker elected on a pro-Gaza platform, launched a petition to block Maccabi supporters, accusing the Israeli team’s fans of “vile hatred and racism” during their match in Amsterdam. “There is no space for that kind of behaviour here in Birmingham,” Khan wrote on X.
Others, however, viewed the move as an alarming surrender to political pressure and mob sentiment. “What does antisemitism look like?” asked Maccabi Tel Aviv CEO Jack Angelides in an interview with the BBC. “This is an extremely important moment because of what it signifies.” He said roughly 1,000 Tel Aviv fans had planned to attend the game.
Emily Damari, a dual Israeli-British citizen and former hostage of Hamas, called the decision “disgraceful.” “I do wonder what exactly has become of British society,” she wrote on X. “This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying ‘No Jews allowed.’”
Following the backlash, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner requested a review of the decision by both the police and Birmingham City Council.
The controversy comes just weeks after two people were killed in an antisemitic terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester—an event that has heightened fears of growing hostility toward Jews across Britain.
While European clubs in countries such as France and Italy have occasionally barred visiting fans due to hooliganism, critics say Birmingham’s move crosses a moral line.
To them, it reflects not prudence but a troubling willingness to treat Jewish identity itself as a security risk.
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