West Midlands Police has clarified that a senior officer did not mean to suggest members of the Jewish community supported the exclusion of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a football match in Birmingham, as reported by the BBC.
West Midlands Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara told MPs that some community representatives had concerns about the Europa League tie with Aston Villa on 6 November.
Asked repeatedly by MPs on Monday if representatives of the Jewish community had said they did not want Maccabi fans attending the Europa League tie with Aston Villa on 6 November, O'Hara said "yes".
He later apologised in a letter to the Jewish community, saying it was never his intention to imply they explicitly supported the ban.
The decision by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, which includes the council and police, to bar away fans was based on police intelligence and classified as high risk. Chief Constable Craig Guildford said Dutch police had reported previous clashes between Maccabi ultras and the local Muslim community. However, Dutch authorities later said the force relied on inaccurate reports about incidents in Amsterdam. Lord Mann, government adviser on antisemitism, told the Home Affairs Committee that only one flag had been torn down and there was a single incident involving a taxi driver.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticised the ban, stressing that all football fans should be able to enjoy matches without fear of violence or intimidation.
The game, policed by over 700 officers, passed without serious disorder, and only a few arrests were made. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian and smaller pro-Israel protesters gathered outside Villa Park before the match.
A police spokesperson said the force continues to engage with the Jewish community and will ensure its communications to the Home Affairs Committee accurately reflect that no community members explicitly supported excluding Maccabi fans.