West Midlands police insist decision to ban Maccabi fans 'not politically influenced'

West Midlands Police Insist Decision to Ban Maccabi Fans Not Politically Motivated, Despite Criticism.

Police chiefs in the West Midlands region are defending their decision to ban supporters of Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a match against Aston Villa. The move was made by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which cited safety concerns advised by the police force, citing intelligence that Israeli fans would be the main perpetrators of trouble.

However, critics claim that this intelligence gathering seems "one-sided", inflating the threat posed by Maccabi fans while underplaying the potential threat from locals angered by Israel's attacks on Gaza. Documents show that pressure came from two councillors who wanted away fans barred from attending games, and that one document claimed locals might "arm" themselves.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara said that people claiming to be Maccabi fans online were goading local community members and making threats, which influenced the decision. The fixture was classified high risk by WMP due to alleged violent clashes and hate crime offenses during a previous match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

However, Dutch police have disputed this information. Chief Constable Craig Guildford denied that there was any political influence on the decision, stating "I do not believe that there was political influence on that decision." He also defended claims by committee chair Karen Bradley that it felt like the force was "scraping" to find a reason to justify the ban.

Critics are accusing West Midlands Police of being politically motivated and caving in to local sectarian interests. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for the chief constable's position to be untenable, saying that the police serve the British public, not local sectarian interests.

I dont get it , banning one side just cuz they're from a different country seems unfair. Its like theyre trying to make a point by targeting these people. I mean, sure there were problems with some fans in Amsterdam but thats not fair to the rest of Maccabi fans, right? Shouldn't be about who's being troublesome but making sure everyone is safe and happy at the match.

I'm so worried about this Maccabi ban ... it feels like they're singling out one team and its fans just because of their nationality . I mean, what if it's actually some locals who are gonna cause trouble? The fact that the police are saying Israeli fans are the ones causing the problem but then using info from some online threats as proof just doesn't add up ... it seems like they're making an example out of Maccabi fans and their supporters . And I don't think it's cool that conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is saying the chief constable's job should be at risk because they caved to local interests .

You can't separate the people from the politics, but you can separate the politics from the people

"When power is once given, it rarely can be taken back" It seems like a classic case of "us versus them" mentality, where one group of fans gets unfairly targeted just because of their nationality or affiliation. The fact that police chiefs are denying any political influence on the decision but still citing intelligence that's mostly focused on Israeli fans' behavior raises some serious red flags . We need to be careful not to let fear and misinformation dictate our actions, instead of looking for facts and evidence .

I'm just so fed up with this kind of thing . Can't we all just get on with watching our football matches without having to worry about being banned from stadiums because of who you support? It seems like the West Midlands Police are taking a very one-sided view here, focusing only on the Israeli fans and not considering that there might be some local people who could be getting upset or angry about certain things going on in the world.

I mean, I get it, safety first and all that, but come on! You can't just make up a reason to ban someone from an event because they're a fan of a particular team . And what's with all this talk about "goingading" local community members online? Are we really living in a world where people are so divided that fans of one team have to be constantly policing each other to make sure no one gets too out of hand?

And another thing, if the Dutch police are saying that there's been no political influence on this decision, then why is West Midlands Police defending it as being non-political? It just doesn't add up . I think we need to take a step back and have a proper conversation about how we're approaching these kinds of situations in our country .

can u believe this? west midlands cops are literally scrambling to justify banning maccabi fans and it just comes across as a load of bs i mean, who needs all this drama when both sides have their own share of troublemakers? and honestly, those docs showing locals prepping to "arm" themselves seem like total BS gotta wonder what's really going on behind the scenes... maybe there's more to it than meets the eye

I'm really worried about this ban on Maccabi fans... It seems like the police are taking a one-sided view and ignoring the fact that locals can get just as angry when they feel threatened or disrespected. I've seen how passionate people can be about football, but it's not an excuse to start making threats or getting violent. Can't we just focus on keeping everyone safe without singling out a specific group?

this is just so unfair what about all those maccabi fans who have nothing to do with politics? they're just there for the football match lol and then the whole situation gets blown out of proportion because of some local tensions i mean if you want to know who's causing trouble, it's not the away fans, it's whoever is inciting violence in the first place and btw why do british police always have to jump into politics when all they're supposed to be doing is keeping people safe?

I'm kinda surprised about this ban thingy... like, isn't it supposed to be fair for all fans who want to come to the match? I mean, Maccabi Tel Aviv is just another team playing football, right? It feels a bit unfair that only one side of the story was considered when making the decision. And yeah, I agree with Kemi Badenoch that the police should serve everyone equally, not just some local groups. The safety thing seems legit, but shouldn't they be looking at all angles instead of just focusing on one group?

I'm low-key shocked by this whole thing . The fact that West Midlands Police are claiming it's all about safety concerns but kinda sounds like they're buying into some pretty biased info from locals who don't like Maccabi fans is a bit dodgy in my book . I mean, if there was really intel suggesting these Israeli fans were going to cause trouble, wouldn't that be shared with the media or something? Instead it's just this behind-the-scenes doc with councillors trying to sway the decision... it doesn't add up for me . And what about all those alleged violent clashes and hate crimes in Amsterdam? That sounds like a pretty solid reason to be cautious, right?

this is getting out of hand... a football match turn into a whole thing about politics and locals having it in for maccabi fans because of israel's actions on gaza meanwhile, people are still debating if it was really about safety concerns or just the fact that some councillor wanted to get rid of away fans

i mean, come on, police chiefs can't just deny any political influence and expect us to believe 'em they're trying to defend themselves, but in doing so, they're also raising more questions than answers

omg, can you believe this? they're banning whole group of people from match just because of what some ppl online are sayin and it sounds like there's been pressure from local councillor who wants to stop away fans which is so unfair ️. police chiefs keep saying its about safety but i think thats just code for 'we don't want u here' . and what really gets me is that one doc claimed locals might 'arm themselves' lol what a load of rubbish they should be focusin on how to make sure EVERYONE has a safe experience at the match not pickin on 1 group .

[Image of a monkey with a 'no' sticker on its back ]

[Safety is important but come on! ]

[A picture of a football fan looking worried ]

[WMP needs to get their facts straight ]

[A screenshot of a 'ban' button with a big red X over it ]

[Image of a police officer with a speech bubble saying "I'm not being PC" ]

omg i'm so worried about this it feels like west midlands police are trying to pick a side in this whole israeli situation and it's super unfair on both maccabi fans and locals honestly if they're saying that one group of people are going to start violent clashes then that's not fair on the other half who might just be upset about what's happening in gaza i think we need to get to the bottom of this and find out where the real intelligence came from

This whole situation reeks of a classic case of 'othering' – where one group is unfairly stigmatized and demonized in order to justify a biased decision . The notion that Maccabi fans are inherently more prone to violent behavior or hate crimes is not only unfounded but also perpetuates a xenophobic narrative .

On the other hand, it's curious how local community members' anger towards Israel's actions in Gaza gets dismissed as an afterthought . It seems like West Midlands Police are more concerned with appeasing local interests than addressing legitimate concerns about safety and security . The fact that documents show councillors pushing for the ban despite lack of evidence speaks to a disturbing level of political interference .

The dichotomy between the chief constable's denials and the criticisms from Kemi Badenoch highlights a fundamental issue – accountability . It's high time for West Midlands Police to take a closer look at their decision-making process and provide transparency into their intelligence gathering .

This whole thing just smells like a big conspiracy to me... I mean, who decides what constitutes "safety concerns" in the first place? It's like they're trying to deflect attention from the real issues. Those councillor guys must've had some strings pulled behind the scenes for them to get so invested in this ban. And what's with all these claims of online goading and threats from Maccabi fans? That sounds like a bunch of BS if you ask me. It's all about covering up the fact that they're really worried about local backlash against Israel's actions in Gaza...