MP questions whether police force behind Maccabi fan ban were influenced by ‘Islamist agitators’

Conservative MP Nick Timothy has questioned whether “Islamist agitators”, including groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, played a role in the controversial decision to bar Israeli-Jewish Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League match in Birmingham.

Speaking in the Commons, Timothy called the ban a “disgrace” and argued that the police’s justification was based on “fiction.”

He pressed ministers to confirm that “no organisations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, or organisations subjected to government non-engagement” had participated in the decision, and called for the publication of intelligence relating to the ban.

Timothy told MPs: “The ban on Israeli-Jewish supporters was a disgrace, but the justification given by West Midlands Police was, it turns out, based on fiction.

“The police said their intelligence came from Dutch counterparts after the Ajax-Maccabi march last year… WMP police called the Maccabi fans ‘highly organised’… ‘linked to the IDF’…. they said they intentionally targeted Muslim communities and 5,000 officers were deployed in response. This was contradicted by an official Dutch report….”

He asked ministers to clarify whether “another known Islamist organisation had seen their own report accepted by the police,” and called for them to “hold the Chief Constable to account.”

He added: “Under pressure from Islamist agitators, local politicians and thugs, an English police force is accused of fabricating intelligence and misleading the public. This could hardly be more serious. We need ministers to hold the chief constable to account and give the country the truth.”

In response to an Urgent Question,  policing minister Sarah Jones confirmed that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to conduct the review, with findings expected by March next year.

Jones said: “I think stepping back, there are wider lessons that we need to learn, which is why the Home Secretary has written to the inspector to ask him to look at how the (Safety Advisory Group) process occurred, and how it makes decisions.”

She continued: “The Home Secretary has asked the inspector to consider the degree to which the police take account of intelligence, the degree to which the SAG process takes into account wider community impacts, and that speaks to a wider question to him now, of who was giving information and what basis were the police making their decision on, and their recommendation on.”

She added: “The review will look at whether the balance of these factors is being struck correctly.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp also weighed in, saying Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, should resign unless he can explain why “false intelligence” was provided. He claimed “the threat of antisemitic mob violence” had dictated policy.

The police’s justification for the ban was further questioned after the Sunday Times quoted a Dutch police spokesman who said claims about the actions of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans cited by West Midlands Police were not recognised by Dutch authorities.

According to the newspaper, the West Midlands Police report alleged Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam threw members of the public into the river, that 500-600 of them targeted Muslim communities, that 200 were linked to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), that the fans were “highly organised, skilled fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with police and opposing groups”, and that Dutch police deployed 5,000 officers in response.

Mike O’Hara, Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, stated in a letter to the Commons Home Affairs Committee that the threat of violence by Maccabi fans was a more important consideration than the risk of antisemitic hate crime.

West Midlands Police has said it will publish a timeline of its decision-making process and recommendations. The outcome of the Home Office review is expected to bring greater transparency over how football fan bans are decided, and whether external organisations have undue influence.

MPs had earlier  been told that the risk of antisemitic hate crime was not the “predominant” reason why West Midlands police wanted to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match at Aston Villa.

Mike O’Hara, WMP’s assistant chief constable, said in a letter to the Commons Home Affairs Committee that the threat of violence by Maccabi fans was a more important consideration.

Policing minister Sarah Jones said there were wider lessons to be learnt from the decision not to allow fans from the Israeli team to attend the game against Aston Villa, which caused political uproar ahead of the Europa League match in early November.

An article in the Sunday Times quoted a Dutch police spokesman who said claims about the actions of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans during a game in Amsterdam, cited by West Midlands Police, were not recognised by the force.

According to the newspaper, the West Midlands Police report said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam threw members of the public into the river; that 500-600 of them targeted Muslim communities; that 200 were linked to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF); that the fans were “highly organised, skilled fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with police and opposing groups”; and that Dutch police deployed 5,000 officers in response.

Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs) were set up after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which killed 97 Liverpool fans during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the stadium in Sheffield.

Jones continued: “The Home Secretary has asked the inspector to consider the degree to which the police take account of intelligence, the degree to which the SAG process takes into account wider community impacts, and that speaks to a wider question to him now, of who was giving information and what basis were the police making their decision on, and their recommendation on.”

She added: “The review will look at whether the balance of these factors is being struck correctly.”