Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Villa Park on Thursday evening ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League tie with Israel’s Maccabi Tel-Aviv, in scenes that forced a large police operation and a number of arrests. The demonstration organised by pro-Palestine groups and attended by counter-protesters centred on calls for Israeli clubs to be excluded from international competitions and opposition to the inclusion of Maccabi in the fixture.
West Midlands Police and local authorities mounted a major security operation for the match. More than 700 officers were deployed to keep protesters and supporters apart after the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) concluded visiting Maccabi fans should be barred for public-safety reasons; the decision to ban away supporters drew criticism from some politicians and community figures.
During the build-up and shortly after kick-off, police said they arrested 11 people for a range of offences, including racially aggravated public-order offences, breaches of the peace and failure to comply with police orders. Reports from news agencies described confrontations, the use of fireworks by some demonstrators and verbal clashes between rival groups; officers repeatedly moved groups away from stadium entrances to prevent escalation.
Club and police statements stressed that public safety was the priority. Villa and West Midlands Police said they had worked with UEFA and the SAG in the run-up to the fixture and put heightened stewarding, ticket checks and cordons in place to manage the crowd and protect residents and attendees. Nearby schools briefly altered operations because of the disruption.
Reaction was mixed. Supporters of the protest argued sport cannot be separated from international politics and demanded greater pressure on Israeli institutions. Other voices including some local leaders and fan groups warned against politicising football and said the decision to exclude away fans was divisive. Media and commentators also highlighted parallels with earlier incidents at matches in Europe that had informed the safety assessment.
On the pitch, Aston Villa won 2–0; club officials and the visiting team’s manager repeatedly asked for focus on the game itself amid the charged atmosphere outside. Police said the situation calmed after kick-off and that the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, but that they would continue investigations into those arrested.
English