UK pledges to take efforts to permit Maccabi supporters to attend game

The British government is doing everything it can to make sure that traveling fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv can go to a game in Birmingham next month, interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on Friday. This comes after the club was banned earlier.

“Hate against Jews is a stain on our society that makes us all look bad.” There should be a safe way for all sports fans to watch their team, Mahmood said on X on Friday.

“This Government is doing everything in our power to ensure all fans can safely attend the game.”

In a statement earlier on Friday, a government spokesman said that the government was working with the cops “to make sure this game can go ahead safely with all fans present.”

Supporters of the Israeli team Maccabi, who were involved in violence in Amsterdam a year ago, will not be able to enter the Europa League match on November 6 because West Midlands police are worried about possible protests outside the stadium.

The statement was called “shameful” by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

It was “the wrong decision,” wrote British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” he said. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

A government source told Sky News on Friday that Lisa Nandy, the culture minister, was going to meet with people from the interior ministry to try to find a “way through” the ban.

Israeli Teams Be the Center of Protests in Gaza

Maccabi did not answer right away when asked for a statement. As anger over the war in Gaza has grown, pro-Palestinian protesters have turned their attention to Israeli teams.

In Amsterdam in November of last year, more than 60 people were arrested after a fight after a game between Maccabi and Ajax.

Police said that anti-Israeli gangs on scooters chased and beat Maccabi fans. Five people were taken to the hospital for care.

A video that Reuters checked out showed Maccabi fans shouting anti-Arab words in the days before the game. Police said that people supporting Maccabi burned a Palestinian flag, tore down another one, and smashed up a car. In the end, the mayor said she wouldn’t host Maccabi again.

After two Jewish people were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2, Starmer has made fighting racism a top priority. On Thursday, he promised more money to protect Jewish neighborhoods, which had said that his Labour government wasn’t paying enough attention to them.

“Well, I guess I’m a little surprised because we don’t usually stop people from exercising their free will,” Birmingham soccer fan Jack Deathridge said.

“But I get what they’re trying to say; it’s true.” There is a lot of shame going around right now, so it might not be safe for them.

Also on Friday, Britain’s government failed in its attempt to stop the head of the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action from filing a lawsuit. People who fight for free speech are angry that the government banned the group under anti-terrorism rules, which is what the lawsuit is about.

POLICE AFRAID OF MORE VIOLENCE LIKE IN AMSTERDAM

West Midlands Police said in a statement that they had suggested the ban on Maccabi fans to protect the public.

“This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.”

Representatives from all over Britain have spoken out against the ban. The mayor of the area and the regional police commissioner, who is elected to head the police, both called for a review right away.

Ayoub Khan, an independent member of parliament in the area, said that Israeli teams should not be allowed to play in European competitions.

“From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage,” he wrote in a statement.

There were pro-Palestinian protesters in Oslo last Saturday after the Israeli national team played. Police used tear gas on them. On Tuesday in Udine, Italy, cops were called to the scene of mostly peaceful protests at the team’s second game.