A British police force used false intelligence to secure a ban on Israeli fans attending an away game in Birmingham this month, according to Dutch law enforcement.
West Midlands police concluded it was “high risk” for Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters to go to a Europa League game at Aston Villa on November 6, leading the local authority to recommend they be banned.
In a confidential report setting out its justification, the force detailed violence when Tel Aviv played Ajax in Amsterdam last year, claiming that Israeli fans threw “innocent members of the public into the river”, that between 500 and 600 “intentionally targeted Muslim communities” and that 5,000 police officers were deployed in response.
The national police force of the Netherlands has said the claims were incorrect. Sebastiaan Meijer, a spokesman for the Amsterdam division, said he was “surprised” by other allegations, including one that 200 travelling Maccabi fans were “linked” to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). He said his force would never have had such intelligence and that Israel had a policy of conscription, making the claim meaningless.
Of the finding that the Israelis were “highly organised, skilled fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with police and opposing groups”, he said: “Amsterdam police does not recognise the claim.” West Midlands police had attributed it to Dutch law enforcement.
On people being thrown into the river, Meijer said the only known case related to a man who appeared to be a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. He was filmed being told he could leave the water on the condition he said “Free Palestine”.
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv staged a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square in Amsterdam, before some lit flares
MOUNEB TAIM/GETTY IMAGES
JEROEN VAN DEN BERG/GETTY IMAGES
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were also on the streets of Amsterdam before the game
JEROEN JUMELET/EPA
The Dutch police issued its denial after the intelligence was leaked, describing information cited by its British counterparts as “not true” and in some instances obviously inaccurate. None of the disputed claims appear in an investigation by the Dutch justice and security ministry dated in May.
However, West Midlands later used the report to address concerns expressed during a behind-closed-doors meeting last month with members of Birmingham’s Jewish community. Jack Hadley, a superintendent, told those present that “innocent members of the public walking down the road were just thrown into the river” and claimed Dutch police described the coordination and organisation of the fans as “unique”. He said violence, the likes of which had “never [been] seen” had “resulted in” the deployment of thousands of extra officers. That claim is also rejected by Amsterdam police.
The key claims — and Dutch responseClaim: 200 Israelis were “linked” to the IDF. Response: “We did not investigate any IDF backgrounds … most young men in Israel have some connection to the IDF but we did not investigate it and we don’t have a number for that.”Claim: Some 500 to 600 of them deliberately targeted “Muslim communities”. Response: “It would be small groups in the city that would get into fights … I don’t have a number [on] how many actually partook in disorder.”Claim: Maccabi fans threw members of the public into the river. Response: “We have evidence of one case [where] you can hear someone say, ‘Yell “free Palestine” and then you can leave, then we’ll get you out’.”Claim: Dutch police deployed 5,000 officers. Response: “In total we came to 1,200, in different shifts, though. About 1,200 were deployed. I read 5,000 police. That number is so not true.”Claim: Israelis were “highly organised, skilled fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with police and opposing groups”. Response: “The Amsterdam police does not recognise the claim.”
The Dutch intervention places renewed pressure on a force — Britain’s second largest by population — which has already been accused of compromising its political independence and pandering to the loudest voices in the city. Among them is Ayoub Khan, the pro-Gaza independent MP, who led a petition with Jeremy Corbyn to ban Israelis from arriving in a “diverse and predominantly Muslim community”. He said the fans’ attendance would damage “community harmony” and normalise genocide.
West Midlands refused to respond to inquiries for several days last week. On Saturday morning, its spokesman said its “evaluation had public safety at its heart … We met with Dutch police on October 1, where information relating to that 2024 fixture was shared with us. Informed by information and intelligence, we concluded that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters — specifically the subgroup known as the Maccabi Fanatics — posed a credible threat to public safety.” Asked if it stood by the disputed claims in the report, and for their source, it said its findings were based on a “range of factors” including Dutch police.
Nick Timothy, a Conservative MP and an Aston Villa fan, said that if the chief constable, Craig Guildford, “cannot justify the actions of the force, he will need to resign”.
When the ban was announced last month, it caused controversy. No 10 condemned the exclusion of fans from the Jewish state “simply because of who they are”. Critics claimed other clubs with “ultras” — fanatical fans who can be violent — had not faced equivalent measures. The prime minister said it was the police’s job to “ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation”, adding: “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.”
Timothy said the move risked a slide to “mob rule” where the state must “police the boundaries between different ethnic and religious groups to avoid disorder”.
Nick Timothy
HOUSE OF COMMONS/REUTERS
Others queried the implications of the decision for future games involving Israeli club sides or the national team, with the UK hosting the Euros in 2028. Israel, which some nations are seeking to remove from Uefa over its actions in Gaza, could qualify for the tournament.
In response to criticism, West Midlands said it had conducted a “thorough assessment” that suggested Israeli hooligans posed a significant danger and would provoke others. It found that Birmingham’s almost 350,000 Muslims were at risk alongside travelling fans and the local Jewish community of a few thousand.
The force said it had reached its conclusion “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”.
• Clubs ask Uefa if they can avoid facing Israeli opposition in Europe
The Amsterdam fixture led to two nights of violence after provocations by Maccabi ultras, including the pulling of Palestine flags from buildings, anti-Arab chants and attacking taxis. In turn, cab drivers, many of Arab descent, put out calls to mobilise against the Israeli supporters. They were joined by locals on foot and mounted on scooters. The Dutch government said fans were then indiscriminately ambushed and assaulted, with targeted attacks on people of Jewish background or perceived as such.
Some on social media called for a “Jew hunt”, according to the BBC, while the Amsterdam mayor warned of “antisemitic hit-and-run squads”. Seven people, five of them Israeli, were treated in hospital. The public prosecutor said 62 arrests took place — reportedly ten Israelis; the remainder Dutch — and five people were treated in hospital with serious injuries. Five local men have been convicted of violence, theft and assault.
When evidence of Israeli hooliganism emerged, it was condemned by the UN and complicated the initial suggestions of one-sided violence. The city’s mayor said she regretted saying the situation “brings back the memory of pogroms” — historical attacks on Jews in Europe — suggesting it had been weaponised by anti-Muslim politicians domestically and Israel’s government.
However, West Midlands police went further than any official report or body in intelligence documents it presented to Birmingham city council’s safety advisory group (SAG) — a committee of police and other public servants — during meetings last month.
Based on the claims, West Midlands concluded the fixture — already “considered highly emotive due to ongoing activities between Israel and Palestine” — posed a high risk of spontaneous disorder, anti-social behaviour, protests and action against “away [high] risk supporters”. It acknowledged there was a lesser but medium risk of “pre-planned disorder”, “risk to local Muslim communities”, “risk to pro-Palestine protesters” and “crime”.
Supporters in the crowd for the game against Ajax
ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP
SAG responded unanimously, sending a formal recommendation to Aston Villa that away fans should be banned and asking the club to communicate the decision to Tel Aviv. Had Villa objected, the SAG could have asked the Labour-led local authority to revoke the safety certificate, which is a legal requirement for hosting games. After initially refusing to explain their reasoning in detail, police cited their intelligence on last year’s game to justify the ban.
In the meeting with the Birmingham Jewish community last month, Hadley said: “The Dutch police, as you would expect, responded … and ended up in some of the worst fighting they have ever, ever seen.”
Meijer dismissed such claims. On the notion 5,000 officers had to be deployed, he said: “In total we came to 1,200, in different shifts, though … I read 5,000 police. That number is so not true.” He said there was no evidence 600 people “deliberately” targeted Muslims, saying the force did not have “a number of how many actually partook in the disorder”.
He rejected the notion that the Israelis were highly sophisticated or organised, noting that the violence that did occur was the result of “a lot of what you might call small incidents”, with Maccabi fans “getting into fights, but not a lot and not in a very alarming way”.
The game was played with empty seats in the section for away fans
JAMES GILL/GETTY IMAGES
He said the notion of hundreds of men being “linked” to the IDF was groundless, stating: “We did not investigate any IDF backgrounds.” He said that, given military conscription, “most young men in Israel have some connection to the IDF but we did not investigate it and we don’t have a number for that. Of course not. I read [the claim]. I was really surprised.”
Of civilians being thrown by Maccabi fans into water, he said the opposite appeared to be true: “We have evidence of one case when it happened … you can hear someone ‘yell free Palestine and then you can leave, then we’ll get you out’”. Video of such an incident proliferated online on the night of the fixture, with a man, apparently a Maccabi supporter, complying.
The claims are further undermined by a Dutch government inquiry published earlier this year. It found 300 Maccabi fans were “at risk” but made no claims about the extent of organisation among fans or their links to the IDF. The report found that the initial provocations that led to wider violence were “minor” from a law enforcement perspective and met with “minor scuffles”. It also rejected the 5,000 claim, stating: “The police are generally adequately equipped. The deployment is extensive, with over 1,200 police officers, including specialised units.”
Dutch police detain a man at De Dam in Amsterdam after allegedly provoking Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters
JEROEN JUMELET/EPA
Officers drove pro-Palestinian protesters away from Dam Square
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
A report from the mayor’s office has previously said the events stemmed “from a toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism and anger about the conflicts in Palestine and Israel”.
By the time Sir Keir Starmer said he would seek to reverse the decision, Maccabi had decided not to offer its supporters tickets. A political row also erupted with Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition, calling it a “national disgrace” and an Israeli minister branding it a “shameful decision”. No 10 said the police were supposed to “ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation”.
The game took place on November 6. Police made 11 arrests with more than 700 officers deployed amid a large pro-Palestine presence at Villa Park and a smaller number of pro-Israel supporters.
In recent weeks, details of the report have been leaked and presented as authoritative intelligence in the public domain. The Guardian said “extreme” Maccabi fans were the reason for the ban — and cited 5,000 officers as an example of the “huge” police response in Amsterdam. The BBC followed up the report, while the Middle East Eye reported UK police “found” that hundreds of supporters were “linked” to the IDF.
After doubts about it emerged last week, Khan, the MP, said: “I think I rather believe the West Mids Police and safety advisory group analysis.” He said the chief constable of the force should be “commended with a medal for standing resolutely against hooligans”.
Ayoub Khan was elected to parliament last year
MARK KERRISON/GETTY IMAGES
Elliot Ludvig, a professor at Warwick University and a Jewish Aston Villa fan, was at the October 20 meeting between police and members of the Jewish community. He said Hadley had described how “he went to Amsterdam, met with Amsterdam police, didn’t say who or how many or at what level, and this is what he came back with: that they were militarily trained, that they overpowered the Dutch police and how the Israeli hooligans were the worst they’d ever seen.
“The impression left was that these are the worst fans we’ve ever seen or heard of in our lives, and there’s no way we can allow them in the city. And then he detailed some of the things that were in the report, including them throwing people into the canal. That was basically the message.”
Other examples of travelling fans being banned from away legs in Britain include a Uefa decision to block supporters of Galatasaray, Turkey, from attending a game in Leeds after two fans were stabbed to death in Istanbul. In 2023, Villa, acting on West Midlands police advice, blocked Legia Warsaw fans from entering Villa Park. Almost 50 men were charged after clashes with police, leading Uefa to impose a five-match ban on the Polish club’s fans attending away games.