Arrests made amid protests before Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv game

By Sam Hall, Matthew Cooper, George Lithgow, PA

Six people have been arrested amid protests in Birmingham ahead of Aston Villa’s football match with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, police said.

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group announced last month that visiting fans would be barred from attending the match at Villa Park on public safety concerns.

More than 700 police officers are on duty for the Europa League clash on Thursday amid concerns over potential disorder.

Before the match, around 200 protesters including members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign gathered near Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand to demand Israel is excluded from international football.

We've arrested six people tonight:

🔴 A man, 21, for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask
🔴 A boy, 17, for failing to comply with a dispersal order
🔴 Three people arrested for racially aggravated public order offences
🔴 One person for a breach of the peace pic.twitter.com/Ia3CL7EgjJ

— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) November 6, 2025

Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott of Israel had also been placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid pro-Palestinian chants.

West Midlands Police 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 other people were arrested for racially aggravated public order offences and another person was arrested for breach of the peace.

Five flatbed vehicles were 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 Thierry Henry saying football is not about goals but bringing people together.

Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters saying “keep antisemitism out of football”, gathered on a basketball court on Witton Lane, close to the Doug Ellis Stand, to hear various speakers oppose the ban on Maccabi fans.

The Revd Tim Gutmann, founder of Christian Action Against Antisemitism, told the crowd that the protest was against “an ancient hate and an ancient evil that hasn’t stopped, and has again risen in our time”.

Holding up a placard saying “Never Again Is Now”, he added: “As a Christian it’s important for me to be here to show that we stand with our fight and stop the hate.

“These are huge moments for a nation. We cannot have no-go zones for Israeli football fans. We can’t have no-go zones for Jewish people.”

Villa supporter Adam Selway arrived for the match wearing a half-and-half scarf in the colours of the home side and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The 48-year-old said he was not making any political statement, felt sympathy with fans unable to attend and simply wanted to watch a football match.

“It’s not about politics, it’s about football,” he said. “It’s not the Villa fans that don’t want anyone here – the Villa fans want the away fans here.”

Maccabi announced it would decline any away tickets for the clash after the Government said it was “working around the clock” to ensure fans from both sides could attend.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had called for the ban on away fans to be overturned, saying it was “the wrong decision”.