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Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans have been told Can’t attend next month’s Europa League match Against Aston Villa in Birmingham – a ban has been imposed Sharply condemned by Sir Keir StarmerJewish political leader and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The Prime Minister said: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets.”
“The role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for each match at Villa Park – had issued the ban after West Midlands Police said they had classified the match as high risk.
He said the decision was taken based on “current intelligence and past events” including the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Violent clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian protesters and Israeli fans before the match, with five people being jailed and more than 60 detained over the riots.
As government officials are about to meet on the ban, The Independent takes a look at what happened in Amsterdam last autumn:
before the game
Before the match, amsterdam Mayor Famke Halsema moved the pro-Palestinian demonstration away from the Johan Cruyff Arena to reduce potential confrontation, although Tel Aviv fans reportedly continued to rally in Dam Square, leading to angry clashes.
Amsterdam’s police chief said Maccabi supporters attacked a taxi and set fire to a Palestinian flag the day before the match.
But Mayor Halsema said the action was no excuse for what happened after violence erupted in the European city.
match day
More than 200 Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters took to the streets of Amsterdam on the day of the match, some were filmed tearing Palestinian flags and others chanting anti-Palestinian slogans.
The police took them to the stadium.
At the Johan Cruyff Arena, just before kick-off, Tel Aviv fans ignored a moment of silence in honor of the victims of recent floods in Spain, sparking more hostilities inside the stadium.
during the match
Chaos in the streets escalated when a rioter was seen climbing a building to tear down a Palestinian flag. Taxi drivers seeking revenge also attacked the group by using apps to track victims. many times,
The match ended with a heavy defeat for Maccabi Tel Aviv. ajax Win 5-0.
One of the Israeli rioters involved in the disturbance was reportedly identified as an IDF soldier, as the attackers took his passport.
A video verified by Reuters shows a group of men running near Amsterdam Central Station as police sirens sound, chasing and attacking other people.
Another photo shows a car driving onto a sidewalk and hitting one of the Israeli fans.
after
Britons who left the stadium early were swept up in the violence.
Aron, 33, told the BBC he was punched in the face as he tried to help an injured Israeli fan.
“We reached one of the central areas and we saw mopeds come and some people started beating an Israeli man who was going back to his hotel,” he says, adding that they were referring to his religion and hitting him hard on the head.
“Shortly afterwards, the same people who attacked the Israelis came to our private space and asked, ‘Are you Jewish? We said no, we’re British.’
Then one of them punched him in the face.
“I was bleeding and my eye was black,” he says. “I’m OK but a little shaken up.”
His friend Jacob said: “They were not just looking for Israelis but also Jews.”
The mayor said the city’s police were caught by surprise after security services failed to flag the match against Ajax, a club with traditionally strong Jewish fans, as high risk.
He said that an “anti-Semitic hit-and-run squad” of about 200 officers had managed to escape.
The mayor said that people riding scooters roaming around the city attacking supporters were reminiscent of genocides against Jewish people in recent European history.
Dutch police confirmed that more than 60 individuals were arrested following the violent confrontation.
Israeli authorities escalated their response, with Prime Minister Netanyahu preparing “rescue planes” for Israeli fans, although the mission was later cancelled.
Amsterdam banned demonstrations for three days from Friday after overnight attacks on Israeli football supporters.
An attempt was made to evacuate 2,751 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Amsterdam.
Israeli airlines El Al and Arcia announced five flights to Amsterdam and Brussels.
The Israeli Embassy in The Hague said the mob chanted anti-Israel slogans and shared videos of their violence on social media, “kicking, beating, even crushing Israeli civilians”.
It says, “On the eve of Kristallnacht – when Jews in Nazi Germany suffered brutal attacks – it is horrifying to see anti-Semitic violence once again on the streets of Europe.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the “anti-Arab slogans” and “attack on the Palestinian flag” in Amsterdam.
In a statement on Twitter, the ministry said it called on the Dutch government to investigate the incident and “protect Palestinians and Arabs” living in the Netherlands.