"Police chiefs facing scrutiny over a decision to ban fans of an Israeli football team from attending a match in Birmingham have insisted the move was not politically influenced. West Midlands police (WMP) leaders defended their position at the home affairs committee on Tuesday after being recalled to give further evidence over the decision to ban fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa on 6 November."
"Supporters of the Israeli football team were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force. Members of the home affairs committee on Tuesday recalled West Midlands police's chief constable Craig Guildford, and commanders involved in the decision making, greeting parts of the force's new testimony before them with outrage."
"Police said they had intelligence the Israeli fans would be the main perpetrators of trouble, a claim that is disputed. The cross-party committee of MPs, said parts of the intelligence gathering seemed one sided, inflating the threat Maccabi fans may have posed while underplaying to threat to them from those in Birmingham angered by Israel's attacks on Gaza. They said the minutes from SAG meetings showed pressure coming from two councillors, who said that away fans should not attend the game."
West Midlands police and local safety advisers banned supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from travelling to a Europa League match at Villa Park on 6 November, citing safety concerns and force intelligence. Police told MPs intelligence indicated Israeli fans would be the main perpetrators of trouble, while the cross-party committee said intelligence gathering appeared one-sided and downplayed risks to those fans from locals angered by Israel's actions in Gaza. SAG minutes reportedly showed pressure from two councillors to prevent away fans attending. Documents claimed some locals might arm themselves. Commanders described the fixture as high risk and said they sought to make the right decision.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]