West Midlands Police is under fire after a Home Affairs Select Committee scrutinised its chief constable over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League clash against Aston Villa.
In a testing appearance before MPs, the force’s most senior figures sought to justify the decision, which sparked political uproar.
Sir Keir Starmer was among those to condemn the move, saying he was “angered by the decision” relating to the fixture, which took place on 6 November last year.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara insisted the decision was “based on safety” and that “there was no conspiracy”.
New documents revealed concerns that local groups in Birmingham may have armed themselves against Jews attending the match.
In announcing their decision, West Midlands Police pointed to violent clashes during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Dutch police disputed information published in a report by the force detailing how it reached its decision.
Assistant Chief Constable O’Hara denied that West Midlands Police had focused solely on intelligence from their Dutch counterparts, saying there had been a “huge degree of consternation” within the local community about a potentially large presence of Maccabi fans.
He said: “There was a lot of intelligence suggesting people would actively seek out Maccabi fans and pursue violence towards them.
“There was a range of options available. The particular challenge was that the Maccabi fans would target the community. This was all forming part of the heat of the situation.”
Tory MP and former Home Office special adviser Nick Timothy criticised the police, saying: “The mob said Israeli fans aren’t welcome, and the police chose appeasement — and we all know where that ends.”
He said senior officers were guilty of “lying” as they attempted to explain their actions and their failure to confront “extreme elements in the communities they are supposed to police”.
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The documents also show that the police assessment was amended late in the process to present a high risk to local people, while the risk to Maccabi fans was downgraded.
Dame Karen Bradley, the Conservative who chaired the committee, accused the police of “scraping” for justification to ban Israelis from attending the game.
Asked about the quality of the intelligence he had previously given the committee regarding Maccabi fan behaviour around their 2024 match with Ajax, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “I do stand by what was said.
“It was said on the basis of the information given to us.”
He added: “The information and intelligence we received and documented was all reviewed. The mistake that was made, in relation to West Ham, involved one individual carrying out a single Google search because he could not find the reference.”
Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit, said: “We normally plan for away fans and their risk supporters to seek disorder with rival fans. The difference here was a threat that some Maccabi fans might seek confrontation with the local community.
“There was chatter on social media, with evidence that some Maccabi fans — or people purporting to be them — were gloating about what had occurred, which was then being responded to. That was a distinguishing dynamic. This was a unique set of circumstances.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused West Midlands Police of “capitulating to Islamists” before “collaborating with them to cover it up”.
She wrote on X: “They knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match, and their response was to blame and remove Jewish people instead. They presented an inversion of reality and misled a Parliamentary Committee.
“We have had enough of this in Britain. The Chief Constable’s position is untenable.
“The British police serve the British public, not local sectarian interests.”
MPs heard that the force had information as early as 5 September last year indicating the Israeli visitors would be targeted with “violence”.
Assistant Chief Constable O’Hara said: “We received a significant amount of intelligence suggesting people would actively seek out Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and pursue violence against them.
“There was a bubbling situation locally.
“We also had people online purporting to be Maccabi fans who were goading members of the local community, saying, ‘this is what you’re going to get’.
“All of this formed part of the heat of the situation and, based on that, commanders sought to make the right decision.”
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West Midlands Police is under fire after a Home Affairs Select Committee scrutinised its chief constable over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League clash against Aston Villa.
In a testing appearance before MPs, the force’s most senior figures sought to justify the decision, which sparked political uproar.
Sir Keir Starmer was among those to condemn the move, saying he was “angered by the decision” relating to the fixture, which took place on 6 November last year.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara insisted the decision was “based on safety” and that “there was no conspiracy”.
New documents revealed concerns that local groups in Birmingham may have armed themselves against Jews attending the match.
In announcing their decision, West Midlands Police pointed to violent clashes during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Dutch police disputed information published in a report by the force detailing how it reached its decision.
Assistant Chief Constable O’Hara denied that West Midlands Police had focused solely on intelligence from their Dutch counterparts, saying there had been a “huge degree of consternation” within the local community about a potentially large presence of Maccabi fans.
He said: “There was a lot of intelligence suggesting people would actively seek out Maccabi fans and pursue violence towards them.
“There was a range of options available. The particular challenge was that the Maccabi fans would target the community. This was all forming part of the heat of the situation.”
Tory MP and former Home Office special adviser Nick Timothy criticised the police, saying: “The mob said Israeli fans aren’t welcome, and the police chose appeasement — and we all know where that ends.”
He said senior officers were guilty of “lying” as they attempted to explain their actions and their failure to confront “extreme elements in the communities they are supposed to police”.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- WATCH: West Midlands Police say Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban was to ‘protect the public’ during inquiry
- Labour mocked for 'UK turning a corner' message as small boats crisis ignored in list of policies
- European leaders deliver stark warning to Donald Trump over Greenland takeover threats
The documents also show that the police assessment was amended late in the process to present a high risk to local people, while the risk to Maccabi fans was downgraded.
Dame Karen Bradley, the Conservative who chaired the committee, accused the police of “scraping” for justification to ban Israelis from attending the game.
Asked about the quality of the intelligence he had previously given the committee regarding Maccabi fan behaviour around their 2024 match with Ajax, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “I do stand by what was said.
“It was said on the basis of the information given to us.”
He added: “The information and intelligence we received and documented was all reviewed. The mistake that was made, in relation to West Ham, involved one individual carrying out a single Google search because he could not find the reference.”
Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit, said: “We normally plan for away fans and their risk supporters to seek disorder with rival fans. The difference here was a threat that some Maccabi fans might seek confrontation with the local community.
“There was chatter on social media, with evidence that some Maccabi fans — or people purporting to be them — were gloating about what had occurred, which was then being responded to. That was a distinguishing dynamic. This was a unique set of circumstances.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused West Midlands Police of “capitulating to Islamists” before “collaborating with them to cover it up”.
She wrote on X: “They knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match, and their response was to blame and remove Jewish people instead. They presented an inversion of reality and misled a Parliamentary Committee.
“We have had enough of this in Britain. The Chief Constable’s position is untenable.
“The British police serve the British public, not local sectarian interests.”
MPs heard that the force had information as early as 5 September last year indicating the Israeli visitors would be targeted with “violence”.
Assistant Chief Constable O’Hara said: “We received a significant amount of intelligence suggesting people would actively seek out Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and pursue violence against them.
“There was a bubbling situation locally.
“We also had people online purporting to be Maccabi fans who were goading members of the local community, saying, ‘this is what you’re going to get’.
“All of this formed part of the heat of the situation and, based on that, commanders sought to make the right decision.”
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
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