‘Birmingham must not be a no-go zone for Jews’

When fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending their Europa League game against Aston Villa, due to ‘safety concerns’, it sparked alarm among British Jews. As did the ‘pro-Palestine’ protest that was organised on the day of the match, opposing the team’s presence and demanding a boycott of all Israeli sportspeople. Israelis were being singled out for punishment and the authorities were sending a message that Maccabi’s largely Jewish fanbase was not safe in Birmingham. But a group of British Jews and their allies decided to do something, mounting a counter-demonstration outside the ground. spiked went along to talk to them.