11/06/25 03:32:00
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11/06 15:31 CST UK police arrest 6 ahead of soccer match between Aston Villa
and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv
UK police arrest 6 ahead of soccer match between Aston Villa and Israeli club
Maccabi Tel Aviv
By PAN PYLAS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) --- British police said six people were arrested Thursday evening
ahead of Aston Villa's Europa League soccer match with Maccabi Tel Aviv in
Birmingham, a match that has seen fans of the Israeli team banned.
West Midlands Police, which has deployed more than 700 officers over concerns
of clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups, said a 21-year-old
man was arrested for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask
while a 17-year-old boy was arrested for failing to comply with a dispersal
order.
Three others were arrested for racially aggravated public order offenses and
another for breach of the peace.
Before the match, around 200 protesters including members of the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign, gathered near a children's playpark adjacent to Villa
Park's Trinity Road stand. Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott
of Israel had also been placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid pro-Gaza
chants.
Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters
saying "keep antisemitism out of football," also gathered on a basketball court
close to the Doug Ellis Stand to hear various speakers opposing the ban.
Five vehicles were also driven past the ground prior to kick-off, carrying
electronic billboards showing messages opposing antisemitism.
One of the messages, beside a Star of David, read "Ban hatred not fans" while
another carried a quote from French soccer legend Thierry Henry saying football
is not about goals but bringing people together.
The atmosphere became particularly heated when police officers briefly formed a
cordon to prevent a surge of protesters after an Israeli flag was reportedly
waved by a passer-by.
There has been a sharp focus on the match after officials in Birmingham decided
last month to ban visiting fans from attending. The decision was widely
criticized, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but lauded by
others, who said Maccabi fans have a recent history of violence.
West Midlands Police said it had deemed the match to be high risk "based on
current intelligence and previous incidents," including violence and hate
crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax in Amsterdam last
season.
The ban came at a time of heightened worries about antisemitism in Britain
following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue last month and calls from
Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over the war
against Hamas in Gaza. Hopes that the recent ceasefire would ease tensions
appear premature.
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