700 cops deployed ahead of Maccabi match in UK; activists plaster city with anti-Israel posters

Anti-Israel rallies and counterprotests planned ahead of soccer game against Aston Villa after local officials banned Israeli fans, citing fears for their safety

More than 700 police deployed across the British city of Birmingham on Thursday as protests were planned over a soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa, with visiting Israeli fans barred.

Local police said protests by opposing groups were scheduled near Villa Park, including a demonstration demanding Israel be excluded from international football.

A video posted to Instagram on Wednesday by Muslim group “Deen1fied” showed masked activists raising signs near the stadium reading “No war games allowed,” “If you see a Zionist call the anti-terror hotline,” and “Shooting babies in Gaza, playing games in Birmingham.”

Birmingham is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the UK.

A pro-Israel group organized a Maccabi Solidarity Rally, with both protests set to kick off around 6 p.m. (1800 GMT) amid a heavy police presence, two hours before the match is due to begin.

“We are experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks now, we have been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns,” West Midlands Police said in statement.

After local safety advisers and police decided to exclude Maccabi fans from the Europa League match in the central England city, a move that drew widespread criticism, the UK government last month vowed to reverse the ban.

However, the Israeli club later announced it would not accept any tickets for its fans, citing safety concerns.

Villa have said they are not selling tickets for the vacant away end of their Villa Park stadium.

Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, has been the scene of regular pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rallies over the last two years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel and subsequent war in the Gaza Strip.

Akhmed Yakoob, a Muslim lawyer who recently ran a failed bid for West Midlands mayor, posted a video to social media urging protesters to remain peaceful and not cover their faces.

Meanwhile, far-right channels spearheaded by Tommy Robinson pledged their support for Maccabi fans against “Islamist activists,” an intervention that has been cited as the team’s “final straw” in banning tickets for away fans.

Police had classified the Thursday fixture as “high risk,” citing “violent clashes and hate crime offenses” following a Europa League match in Amsterdam between Maccabi and Ajax last November.

The subsequent riots saw Muslim and Arab gangs attack Israeli fans across Amsterdam in coordinated “Jew hunts” that left five people hospitalized. Videos also showed Maccabi fans chanting racist slogans ahead of the game.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to turn down tickets to the Thursday match also came after Israeli police called off a Israeli Premier League match between it and local left-wing club Hapoel because of “riots” between rival fans.

The team has insisted its supporters were not involved in the unrest and criticized “hate-filled falsehoods” about its supporters for creating a “toxic atmosphere.”

Aston Villa have urged supporters not to display political symbols during the match — a practice banned under protocols issued by UEFA, the governing body of European football.