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More than 700 officers will be on duty this Thursday as West Midlands Police prepares for a significant operation around Aston Villa’s Europa League fixture with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The large-scale deployment is designed to ensure public safety and manage planned demonstrations, after pro-Palestinian groups called for the match to be cancelled. The force confirmed that officers will be on the ground in and around Villa Park, as well as across Birmingham city centre and major transport hubs.
Residents near the stadium have been warned to expect disruption, with mounted officers, police dogs, drone units and road policing teams among those being deployed.
Birmingham Police commander Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce said: “Anyone who breaks the law will be dealt with directly, as will those who incite hate."
We have been working closely with partners including Birmingham City Council, Aston Villa Football Club, our colleagues in other emergency services, as we put in place our significant policing operation."
“People can expect to see a large number of uniformed officers, as well as police horses, police dogs, our drone unit, road policing unit, protest liaison officers and others."
“We will also be ensuring that we continue to provide the same great policing service to the whole of the West Midlands.”
Mr Joyce said officers were well-prepared for both the match and the demonstrations expected to take place.
“We know protests by different groups will take place on the day, and we have plans in place which balance the right to protest with our duty to protect all communities in Birmingham,” he said.
“We are experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks now we have been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns."
“Our goal throughout planning for this match is to ensure people can enjoy the football fixture while we continue to keep everyone in Birmingham safe, facilitate peaceful protest and maintain the King's peace.”
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) previously ruled that away supporters would not be allowed to attend, following a police risk assessment that classified the game as “high risk.” That decision drew political criticism, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who called the ban “the wrong decision.”
However, Maccabi Tel Aviv later confirmed they would not take up their ticket allocation, citing the “toxic atmosphere” that had surrounded the initial ruling. “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” the club said. “We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Pro-Palestinian organisations including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Kashmir Solidarity Campaign, and Palestinian Forum in Britain have jointly organised a protest to coincide with the fixture.
Naeem Malik, chair of the West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said there had been “national outrage” over the hosting of the Israeli side. “The calls to cancel this match have been ignored despite the risks that it carries, therefore we must urge activists to unite in protest against this match,” he said.
He alleged that the club was “directly involved in Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” claiming its role in Israel’s infrastructure in the occupied West Bank made it complicit.
In September, a UN commission of inquiry reported that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, finding reasonable grounds to conclude that four out of five genocidal acts had been carried out. Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the report, calling it “distorted and false.”
Protest organisers said their demonstration would continue throughout the game with peaceful chants. Police have warned that any criminal or hate-related behaviour will be met with immediate action.
A West Midlands Police risk assessment cited concerns about “violent clashes and hate crime offences” seen during Maccabi Tel Aviv’s previous Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Trung Tran, Pexels / Ömer Faruk Yıldız
