Maccabi football fans and the ousting of a UK police chief – why it matters

The resignation of the UK’s West Midlands police chief, who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a football match in Birmingham last year, has triggered concerns that pressure from pro-Israel groups is being allowed to override policing decisions in the United Kingdom.

Police decisions are supposed to be independent of the government or political influence in the UK. But the departure of Craig Guildford, chief constable of West Midlands Police, was the result of political pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups amid heightened sensitivities around the issues of Israel and Palestine, legal and political commentators say.
In November last year, West Midlands Police recommended that Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans should be banned from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham on public order and security grounds.

West Midlands Police said it had classified the match as high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.

“Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety,” the police force said at the time.

The decision was ultimately approved by Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), a multi-agency body that brings together police, local authorities and emergency services to assess safety risks at major events.

There was a public outcry, and numerous media opinion pieces called the ban “anti-Semitic”.]