A high-ranking officer of the West Midlands Police has issued an apology to Jewish residents in Birmingham after he suggested to Members of Parliament that some members of the community had expressed support for banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a recent football match. The decision to exclude supporters of the Israeli team from attending the Europa League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham last month had already provoked widespread political criticism, including an expression of anger from Keir Starmer. The public inquiry into the decision-making process took place before the Home Affairs Committee on Monday, where West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford, Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara, and Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster were questioned. Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara told the panel that certain Jewish representatives had indicated they preferred that Maccabi fans not attend the match in Birmingham on November 6, reports The WP Times citing Guardian.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police stated on Saturday that the department recognizes the recent time has been difficult for the local Jewish community and confirmed that they have actively engaged with representatives. Regarding the exchange at the HASC meeting on Monday, the spokesperson emphasized that the officer’s intention in answering a complex set of questions was never to imply explicit support from community members for the exclusion of Maccabi fans. The Sunday Times later reported that O’Hara has since written directly to Jewish representatives in Birmingham to formalize his apology.
The decision to implement the ban on supporters, which was issued by Birmingham’s safety advisory group, was partially based on intelligence provided by the police force. West Midlands Police had classified the fixture as high risk, citing alleged violent clashes and hate crime offenses that reportedly took place during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
However, the validity of this intelligence has been disputed, as Dutch police have reportedly challenged the accuracy of the information provided by the West Midlands Police, according to The Sunday Times. The Israeli embassy in London had previously criticized the force's reliance on what they termed “disproven allegations” about the fans’ conduct in Amsterdam as justification for classifying them as a threat to public safety in Birmingham, describing the police’s actions as “profoundly misleading, extremely troubling and risks inflaming tensions.”
West Midlands Police later stated that they offered a full and comprehensive explanation to MPs regarding the information, intelligence, and risk assessment process conducted before the football match last month. The force affirmed its commitment to continue responding to follow-up questions raised by the HASC and to actively cooperate with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services’ wider review commissioned by the home secretary.
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