The prime minister joined calls for<\/a> Birmingham City Council\u2019s Safety Advisory Group and West Midlands Police to reverse the decision and allow Maccabi fans to attend the game. <\/p>\n The move to prohibit Maccabi away supporters<\/a> from attending the Europa League game at Villa Park<\/a> on 6 November was made amid public safety fears.<\/p>\n Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli<\/a> fans erupted around the Europa League match between Dutch club Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Five men were given prison sentences and more than 60 people were detained in the riots, which prompted accusations of deliberate antisemitic attacks.<\/p>\n But Sir Keir slammed the decision, describing it in a post on X, formerly Twitter, as \u201cthe wrong decision\u201d. <\/p>\n He said: \u201cWe will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Keir Starmer said Birmingham City Council\u2019s Safety Advisory Group had made \u2018the wrong decision\u2019 (PA Wire)<\/p>\n \u201cThe role of the police is to ensure all football fans<\/a> can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n Birmingham\u2019s Safety Advisory Group \u2013 the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park<\/a> \u2013 informed Villa that no away fans will be permitted to attend next month\u2019s fixture.<\/p>\n The move was condemned by Jewish political leaders. Uefa, which runs the Europa League, also urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi Tel Aviv fans could attend the match in Birmingham.<\/p>\n In a statement, it said: \u201cUefa wants fans to be able to travel and support their team in a safe, secure and welcoming environment, and encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen.<\/p>\n A minister said senior government figures are meeting on Friday to find \u201ca way through\u201d that would allow Maccabi fans to attend the fixture. <\/p>\n Ian Murray, a minister in the culture department, said the decision was \u201ccompletely and utterly unacceptable\u201d and said culture secretary Lisa Nandy will be \u201cmeeting with the Home Office and other stakeholders today to try and see if there\u2019s a way through this\u201d. <\/p>\n Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters\u2019 club, said the decision is \u201ca political message rather than a safety message\u201d.<\/p>\n The retired British Army major told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme: \u201cThere\u2019s no evidence of Maccabi\u2019s fans being particularly violent. They don\u2019t have a track record in all of their previous European games of having a violent fan group.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it sends a \u201creally worrying message\u201d about British society and makes \u201ca febrile political situation worse\u201d. <\/p>\n He said there are plenty of \u201cwell-established ways\u201d to keep opposing supporters apart, and that bans were usually reserved for cases where there is \u201cguaranteed violence\u201d from the visiting fans. <\/p>\n Maccabi\u2019s chief executive, Jack Angelides, said the move was contributing to a rise in antisemitism. <\/p>\n \u201cI don’t use this term lightly but people ask ‘what does antisemitism look like?’ And it’s often manifested as part of a process, a process in other words small events leading up to something that’s more sinister,\u201d he told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme. <\/p>\n He added: \u201cTo be frank, it’s met with some dismay about what this potentially is signalling.\u201d <\/p>\n Mr Angelides said the team has played in places such as Turkey which are \u201cnot so kind\u201d to Israeli teams, but the police “were out in force” and there were no incidents.<\/p>\n The decision was also branded a \u201cnational disgrace\u201d by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and a \u201cshameful decision\u201d by Israeli<\/a> foreign minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attended their Europa League fixture against PAOK in Greece in September (Reuters)<\/p>\n On X, Ms Badenoch wrote: \u201cStarmer 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWill he back those words with action and guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country?<\/p>\n \u201cIf not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jewish Leadership Council criticised the decision not to permit Maccabi supporters to attend the Villa game, saying: \u201cIt is perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can\u2019t guarantee their safety.<\/p>\n \u201cAston Villa<\/a> should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: \u201cA serious mistake by WM Police. You don\u2019t tackle antisemitism by banning its victims. This decision must be reversed.\u201d<\/p>\n Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the move \u201ctakes racial discrimination to a whole new level\u201d, while an MP in his party, Danny Kruger, said home secretary Shabana Mahmood should consider sacking the chief constable responsible.<\/p>\n![\"Keir](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/827e0e957f43905efc0848cb3988b2bcY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzYwNzMyMDA0-2.82008325.jpg\")
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