Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans barred from Europa League game in UK
Fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv have been barred from attending a Europa League game against Aston Villa in the United Kingdom next month because of security concerns, the English club said.
Birmingham City’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches at Villa Park, where the game is to be played – informed Aston Villa that Maccabi Tel Aviv away fans will not be permitted to attend.
West Midlands Police said they had classified the match as high risk 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”.
Starmer calls for Israeli football fans to be allowed at Aston Villa match
The British PM says fans of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be barred from a football match in Birmingham next month.
As we reported earlier, Aston Villa said travelling Maccabi fans – who were involved in violence a year ago in Amsterdam – would be barred from the Europa League match on November 6, after West Midlands police expressed concern about potential protests outside the stadium.
Starmer posted on X that it was “the wrong decision”.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” he wrote. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is due to meet Home Office officials to seek a “way through” the ban, an official told Sky News.
Starmer wants the opportunity to outdo Halsema in blaming their own citizens for reacting to Maccabi's racist attacks.
UK loses bid to block challenge to Palestine Action ban
The British government has lost its bid to block the cofounder of pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action from bringing a legal challenge over the banning of the group under anti-terrorism laws.
Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, was given permission to challenge the group’s proscription, with her case due to be heard next month.
The UK Home Office (interior ministry) asked the Court of Appeal to overturn that decision and rule that any challenge to proscription should be heard by a specialist tribunal.
Judge Sue Carr rejected the Home Office’s appeal, saying Ammori’s case could proceed in the High Court.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a “terrorist organisation” by the government in July, making it a crime to be a member, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
More than 1,000 people have since been arrested for holding signs in support of the group, with more than 100 charged.
