Sir Keir Starmer has condemned a decision to ban supporters of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv from their team’s match against Aston Villa as “the wrong decision”.
The prime minister joined calls for Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group and West Midlands Police to reverse the decision and allow Maccabi fans to attend the game.
The move to prohibit Maccabi away supporters from attending the Europa League game at Villa Park on Thursday, November 6, was made amid public safety fears.
Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted around the Europa League match between Dutch club Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam last year.
Five men were given prison sentences and more than 60 people were detained in the riots, which prompted accusations of deliberate antisemitic attacks.
But Sir Keir slammed the decision, describing it in a post on X, formerly Twitter, as “the wrong decision”.
He said: “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park – informed Villa that no away fans will be permitted to attend next month’s fixture.
The move was condemned by Jewish political leaders. It was also branded a “national disgrace” by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and a “shameful decision” by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar.
On X, Ms Badenoch wrote: “Starmer pledged that Jews are welcome and safe in Britain. That he stands shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community and will use the full force of his government to prove it.
“Will he back those words with action and guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country?
“If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go.”
The Jewish Leadership Council criticised the decision not to permit Maccabi supporters to attend the Villa game, saying: “It is perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can’t guarantee their safety.
“Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “A serious mistake by WM Police. You don’t tackle antisemitism by banning its victims. This decision must be reversed.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the move “takes racial discrimination to a whole new level”, while an MP in his party, Danny Kruger, said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood should consider sacking the chief constable responsible.
Baroness Luciana Berger, a former Labour MP who quit the party in 2019 amid its antisemitism scandal before rejoining in 2023, said: “This is a shameful decision.
“If West Midlands Police & Birmingham council can’t guarantee safety for this 1 match then the city’s ability to host forthcoming major international events should be reviewed.”
West Midlands Police said they had classified the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture 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”.
Ayoub Khan, the pro-Gaza Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, welcomed the decision.
He said: “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.
“With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign had called for the match to be cancelled, saying on X: “Israeli football teams shouldn’t play in international tournaments whilst it commits genocide and apartheid.”
