Police ‘apologise to Jewish community’ over Tel Aviv fan ban declare | EUROtoday

A West Midlands Police chief didn’t imply to suggest to MPs that there have been members of the Jewish neighborhood who had explicitly expressed help for the exclusion of Maccabi Tel Aviv followers from a soccer match, the power has mentioned.

The choice to not enable supporters of the Israeli crew to attend the Europa League sport towards Aston Villa in early November sparked political uproar, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer “angered by the decision”.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford, Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster have been questioned on their decision-making by the house affairs committee on Monday.

Mr O’Hara informed the panel that some Jewish neighborhood representatives had mentioned they didn’t need Maccabi followers to attend the match in Birmingham.

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The Times reported he has now written to representatives of the neighborhood in Birmingham to apologise.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police mentioned “it was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans”.

They added that the power expects additional engagement with the committee and can “ensure this is clearly articulated as it has been with representatives of the Jewish community”.

The Israeli embassy in London beforehand mentioned West Midlands Police’s use of “disproven allegations” about Maccabi Tel Aviv followers’ actions throughout a sport in Amsterdam as proof they posed a menace to public security in Birmingham was “profoundly misleading, extremely troubling, and risks inflaming tensions”.

The choice by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (Sag), which brings collectively the council and police, to ban the followers was primarily based partly on police intelligence.

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The fixture had been labeled as excessive threat by West Midlands Police, with the power pointing to alleged violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred throughout the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

However, Dutch police have disputed the accuracy of this info, The Sunday Times reported.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police mentioned: “We recognise that this has been a difficult time for our local Jewish community, we therefore have and continue to actively engage.

“At the HASC assembly on Monday, there have been numerous questions requested, typically with a number of components and secondary factors raised.

“In answering these questions, it was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans.

“We are anticipating follow-up engagement from the HASC and we are going to guarantee that is clearly articulated because it has been with representatives of the Jewish neighborhood.

“We provided a full and comprehensive explanation to MPs on the information, intelligence and risk assessment process that took place prior to the football match last month and we will continue to respond to follow-up questions raised by the HASC and actively engage with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary &Fire and Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) wider work commissioned by the home secretary.”