Police apologise for wrongly claiming Jewish group supported ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv followers attending Aston Villa match
Police chiefs in Birmingham have apologised to a cross-party group of MPs after suggesting members of the Jewish community in the city had expressed support for a ban on fans of an Israeli football team attending a match at Aston Villa.
In a letter to the committee, West Midlands Police (WMP) Chief Constable Craig Guildford admitted there was ‘no documented feedback’ that British Jews wanted Maccabi Tel Aviv fans barred from the game on November 6.
Mike O’Hara, an Assistant Chief Constable at the West Midlands force, told the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) of MPs earlier this month that police had been told by members of the Jewish community they did not want Maccabi fans to attend the match.
WMP subsequently issued a statement of clarification which read: ‘It was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans.’
Dame Karen Bradley, the Conservative chair of the HASC, wrote to the force asking it for further clarification of what ACC O’Hara meant in his evidence.
In a letter responding to the committee, WMP chief constable Craig Guildford said: ‘We can confirm that there is no documented feedback from Jewish representatives prior to the decision being communicated which expressed support for the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.’
However, he added that since ACC O’Hara appeared at the committee, he ‘has been approached by members of the Jewish community who expressed that they agree with the Sag decision’.
‘Understandably, many community members chose to share their views privately, offering their support in confidence’, the chief constable said.
ACC Mike O’Hara told the Home Affairs Select Committee on December 1 that police had been told by members of the Jewish community they did not want Maccabi fans to attend the match
West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford, pictured giving evidence before the committee earlier this month, has apologised and said there was ‘never any intention to mislead’ MPs
There was a heavy police presence outside Villa Park for Aston Villa’s Europa League fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv last month
He added: ‘ACC O’Hara and I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologise to the Home Affairs Select Committee for any confusion caused and would like to reassure you that there was never any intention to mislead whatsoever.’
Mr Guildford and his Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara are due to appear before the committee again next week – believed to be the first time a Chief Constable has been recalled to Parliament in this way – after Dame Karen said there remained a ‘number of questions relating to the actions of West Midlands Police in respect of this fixture’.
The decision to ban away fans at the Europa League match was taken by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – a panel that includes Birmingham City Council as well as police – in October, sparking outrage across the political spectrum iincluding from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In a tranche of correspondence to the committee published before the two evidence sessions, at which Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton will also appear, the Labour-run authority has also said it plans to commission an independent review to learn lessons from the decision to bar Maccabi supporters from the match.
Richard Brooks, executive director of city operations at the council, added in a letter to Dame Karen: ‘The Council and the SAG have been keen to learn from this experience and develop its processes for the future.
‘Thus, the council and the SAG intend to commission a formal process of independent forward-looking review undertaken by an external law firm to ascertain what can be improved from a governance perspective.
‘The review will be independent, headed by an individual with relevant experience from an independent law firm.’
Amid continued scrutiny of the ban, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered the policing watchdog to examine how forces in England and Wales provide risk assessments to safety advisory groups, which inform on measures around high-profile events.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services will hand its findings to Ms Mahmood by March 31.
The fixture between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park was policed by more than 700 officers and passed off without serious disorder and only a handful of arrests. It ended in a 2-0 victory for the home team.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has meanwhile faced reprimand by European football governing body UEFA over alleged discriminatory behaviour by its fans.
This month, the team was given a suspended one-match away ban because of chanting by its fans, as well as a fine of 20,000 euro (approximately £17,500).
