Ministers to explore reversing ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending UK match after PM’s criticism – politics live

Fans of the Israeli football team will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on 6 November owing to safety concernsGood morning. Yesterday it emerged that fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on 6 November owing to safety concerns. The decision was taken by Birmingham’s safety advisory group, based on advice from the West Midlands police, who said the match would be “high risk” 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”. There is more on the announcement here.The decision prompted widespread condemnation from political leaders. Keir Starmer said:This is the wrong decision.We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.This is a national disgrace.How have things come to this?A serious mistake by WM Police. You don’t tackle antisemitism by banning its victims. This decision must be reversed.From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage.With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures.As Israel continues its assault on Gaza, killing thousands and devastating civilian infrastructure, sporting fixtures involving Israeli teams cannot be separated from the wider political context. Hosting such teams sends a message of normalisation and indifference to mass atrocities.[The decision is] just completely and utterly unacceptable, and the prime minister has said we will do everything we possibly can to resolve this issue.It’s an operational issue for the police, and government doesn’t get involved in operational issues for the police. Continue reading...