Starmer steps in — will he overturn Maccabi Tel Aviv ban?

Dear readers — Birmingham has been the centre of attention this weekend, as prime minister Keir Starmer has waded into a row over fans of Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Late last week, Birmingham City Council, advised by West Midlands Police, took the decision to ban the controversial fanbase when Maccabi plays at Villa Park next month. But that move has now become a national debate. As your local paper, The Dispatch has been covering the potential fallout from the Maccabi match and we have the latest updates on the unfolding story below. 

Also in today’s briefing, there's an on-the-ground report from Stirchley’s Saturday anti-flag demo and a Digbeth restaurant gets the nod of approval from Grace Dent. But before that: your Brum in Brief. 

Catch up and coming up:

• In 1806, a 30 year-old petty criminal was hanged at Snow Hill. Phillip Mastell’s execution was supposedly the first of its kind in Birmingham. But as Alex Taylor uncovered in our weekend read, this wasn’t true. He also wasn't hanged for murder, as is commonly believed — his victim wasn’t even dead when Matsell met his maker. Catch up with the intriguing feature now.
• Samuel’s Thursday politics edition garnered a lot of comments last week. Included is a report on the upcoming Moseley by-election, a deep dive into how Labour came to dominate the West Midlands and a run through some more of the names vying for power in our region.

Photo of the week

The Bullring Cafe (1991), (Photo: Birmingham Museums via @Brumpic.) Have you ever eaten here? What were the chips like?  Remember Bullring hospitality before the redevelopment? 

Big Story: Starmer steps in — will he overturn Maccabi Tel Aviv ban?

Topline: The prime minister wants to reverse a decision by local authorities to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Villa Park next month. The government is “doing everything in our power” to make sure all supporters can attend the 6 November match against Aston Villa.

Context: On Thursday, Birmingham City Council’s safety advisory board announced that fans of the Israeli team would not be allowed to attend the game, following safety concerns by West Midlands Police. The decision was based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, police said. Last year, Amsterdam experienced two days of spiralling street conflict after Maccabi Tel Aviv played Dutch team AFC Ajax. You can read The Dispatch’s report on the controversy surrounding next month's match here. 

What does the government say? The Home Office has said that “no-one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are” and Starmer called the ban “wrong”, adding “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”. The government is considering additional resources to allow all fans to attend.

They’re backed by two of the main opposition parties with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling the ban a “national disgrace” and Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, saying he wants the decision reversed “as soon as possible”. On the other hand, the Green Party has called Starmer “irresponsible” for questioning the safety decision made in Birmingham.

Past prohibitions: It’s not the first time a team’s supporters have been denied access to Villa Park. Fans of Polish team Legia Warsaw were blocked from entering on 30 November 2023, following clashes with police outside the stadium. They were then banned from the team's next five European matches.

What happened in Amsterdam? On 6 and 7 November 2024, violent scenes broke out in the Dutch capital after Israeli fans belted out anti-Arab chants, including “there are no schools in Gaza, as there are no children left”, tore down Palestine flags and vandalised a taxi. Locals then took to ebikes and scooters to hunt Maccabi supporters after the match, and police said a call on social media went out to target Jews. 800 police officers were deployed and 62 arrests were made, while four men ended up in prison.

Recent developments: On Sunday, a derby in Tel Aviv between Maccabi and Hapoel teams was called off after riots broke out and Israeli police said there were “risks to human life”. The Telegraph has reported that at least 42 people were injured, including police officers, and a further 40 arrested, and projectiles and flares "primarily set off by Hapoel fans" were launched at the Bloomfield stadium. A police statement posted on X said: “Disorderly conduct, riots, injured police officers and damage to infrastructure – this is not a soccer game, this is a breach of order and serious violence.”

Last month, Perry Barr independent MP Ayoub Khan and Aston Lib Dem councillor, Mumtaz Hussain launched a petition to call off the match in Birmingham. Khan has now responded to Starmer’s involvement, saying ‘shame on you, this was never about religion but about hooliganism’. However, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has asked the council’s safety advisory group to review their decision, while the group has said it will do so if the police advice changed.

Bottom line: All eyes are on Aston ahead of the 6 November match. If the PM does go ahead and overturn the ban, it’s clear extra resources will need to be provided to ensure the safety of attendees and locals in case any conflict occurs.

Brum in Brief 

🇬🇧 Flag wars continued in Stirchley over the weekend after locals assembled at ‘Stirchley triangle’ for a peaceful demonstration against the influx of flags in the area. Flaggers beat them to the punch, with raisethecolours dot org co-founder Ryan Bridge (who we’ve previously reported on) arriving in his cherry picker prior to the 10am start and covering the meeting point with St.George bunting, Union Jacks and Remembrance Day flags. Bridge was later joined by about a dozen supporters who were vastly outnumbered by the demonstrators. The day was mostly peaceful, apart from one flashpoint when a few masked anti-flaggers ripped down some of the bunting. There were also some heated exchanges: we witnessed locals telling Bridge (who lives in Bromsgrove) that they don’t want outside groups putting up flags in their area because it is causing division. Bridge, who was filming much of the event for social media, claimed that if the Nazis had successfully invaded the UK during WWII, the protestors would have lost “for being weak”. He then challenged one demonstrator to a charity boxing match, although the proposition wasn’t taken up. Reporting by Dan Cave.

🗑️ A number of bin workers are facing compulsory redundancies as Birmingham City Council and Unite the Union continue their dispute, reports the BBC. Meanwhile, last week, the council took Unite to court, claiming striking workers had breached an injunction to limit picketing to designated areas outside three depots. The industrial action, which Unite members have voted to continue until March, is ongoing at the same time as equal pay disputes with staff at the two other unions who represent city council workers, have been all but settled. Last week, GMB and UNISON came to a final agreement with council bosses for the settlement of claims by discriminated workers.

Quick Hits

🚇 HS2 tunneling machine ‘Elizabeth’ breaks through in Birmingham. (BBC)  

🧑‍⚖️ A far-right West Midlands extremist has been jailed after being found guilty of plotting terrorist attacks against synagogues and mosques in the UK. (Birmingham Mail). 

🕺 Birmingham remembers the Dome Club (BBC) 

💰 A ‘timeshare fraudster’ scammed people out of £28 million in the West Midlands. (Birmingham Mail).  

🏛️ Walsall Council has been criticised for deciding to sell its Leather Museum by MPs and locals. (BBC). 

Media picks

🎞️ The New Statesman’s policy correspondent Harry Clarke-Ezzidio heads out to Handsworth to test MP Robert Jenrick’s statement about lack of integration (the shadow justice secretary claims he saw “no white people” in a February visit to the area) through the greatest tool known to journalists: the vox pop. People in Handsworth don’t seem convinced about the Tory MPs comments — that’s if they even recognise Jenrick’s name. Clarke-Ezzido could have saved himself a journey though, as The Dispatch already combed through Jenrick’s footage and found visual evidence to disprove Jenrick’s claims.

📰 Grace Dent reviews the Custard Factory’s 670 Grams for The Guardian. The restaurant, which in this staff writer’s opinion looks like the inside of a Lazer Quest room, was flatteringly reviewed by Dent, who describes it as: “a cascade of small, meaningful bowls – an earthy bone broth here, a sliver of Jemison Park trout there – all of which just ooze flavour.” Ever been? What’s your opinion? Let us know in the comments. 

Our to do list

🕯️ On Tuesday, enjoy an afternoon’s crafting at The Juke in Kings Heath where you’ll learn how to make a Halloween-themed clay tealight holder. All materials are included in the £11.55 ticket price.

🖼️ On Wednesday, the New Art Gallery Walsall celebrates 25 years with a tour and talk by the Birmingham Architectural Association. Tickets from £6.07.

🎭 On Friday, Section 28-era disco romp Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho kicks off a two-day run at The Rep. Tickets from £24.

🎤 On Saturday, Texan singer-songwriter and cult favourite Rod Picott will play at Thimblebill Library in Smethwick as part of his final ever tour. Tickets from £8.

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