Protests erupt in Birmingham as Maccabi Haifa Faces Aston Villa Amid Heavy Police Presence
BIRMINGHAM, UK - Demonstrations unfolded outside Villa park Thursday as Aston Villa hosted Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in a Europa Conference League qualifying match, prompting an “unprecedented” policing operation, West Midlands Police confirmed. Protesters voiced opposition to the game taking place, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza and displaying Palestinian flags and placards with slogans including “boycotts not bullets” and “take the foot off their necks and get off our pitch.”
The demonstrations reflect growing international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza, where a UN commission of inquiry recently found reasonable grounds to conclude that four out of five genocidal acts have been carried out against Palestinians. Israel’s foreign ministry has categorically rejected the UN report, calling it “distorted and false.” The match proceeded despite calls for cancellation from groups including the Palestine Solidarity campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Kashmir solidarity campaign and Palestinian Forum in Britain, who jointly organized one of the protests.
Autonomous MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, joined the presentation, leading chants of “Free, Free Palestine.” He emphasized the diversity of the Birmingham community and stated, “We have shown that we are a welcoming community, that we want to support footballers but we don’t support hooligans, and we don’t support genocide.”
The protests highlight the increasing intersection of sports and political activism, particularly concerning conflicts with significant humanitarian consequences. The match is part of the Europa Conference League third qualifying round, with the return leg scheduled to be played in Haifa next week. The outcome will determine which team advances to the group stage of the competition.
