Anti-Israel protesters warn expect "complete chaos" ahead of Villa v Tel Aviv
Activists in Birmingham voice concerns ahead of tonight’s Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match
Birmingham activists protesting Aston Villa's match against Maccabi Tel Aviv today (Thurs) have warned people to expect "complete chaos" ahead of the controversial Europa League fixture.
More than 700 police officers will be deployed by West Midlands Police later with five protest events expected by 'pro Palestine' and 'pro Israel' groups.
It comes after the decision to ban Maccabi fans from attending the game on "public safety grounds" after police classified the match as high risk.
Brummie protesters who have promised to gather outside Villa Park today to voice their anger include members of the ‘Show Israel the Red Card’ rally.
Demonstrators have warned to expect a "chemical reaction of emotion" which could lead to "complete chaos" despite earlier promising a peaceful protest.
Aiden Green, 25, a student from Dundee, Scotland, who now lives in Birmingham, said: “It's going to be complete chaos.
Aiden Green who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025placeholder image
Aiden Green who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025 | Adam Yosef / SWNS
"I came to Birmingham from Scotland so I'm used to all the old firm matches and all the chaos that happens there.
"But when it comes to the Tel Aviv fans, it's going be different because they're all just going be outside...and they're going be pretty annoyed that they weren't even allowed in in the first place.
"I'm not worried about the far-right but I am concerned about the tension with them considering how destructive the far-right have been known to be during protests.
"It could just create a bit of a chemical reaction of emotion that could be very, very chaotic.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv shouldn't be in FIFA. There's a known genocide that's been going on for nearly a hundred years and over the past 2 years has been exacerbated.
"The fact that they're [Israel] in Eurovision, the fact that they're in FIFA at all, it's just like it creates this weird like… you're trying to put this character of Israel ahead of what is actually happening in Palestine.
"Like, ‘Oh no, let's just brush over what's happening, it's just a football game.’ Nah, it's more than that.
“What’s been happening in Gaza is horrific, absolutely horrific. It's the cruelty of it all.
"How many times do you see people being shot for sport while trying to pick up food aid in what is already a starving civilisation?
"One of the main reasons I came to Birmingham was to get more involved in activism.
"Dundee had an amazing pro-Palestine effort and we had weekly demos every week but I wanted to be a part of something bigger, so I mean it's the second-biggest city in the country.
"It's going to be amazing, I know it.”
Muhammad Ali, 33, said: "I'm a Brummie, I've lived here most of my life. I was actually born in Aston and grew up around the Villa stadium.
Muhammad Ali who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025.placeholder image
Muhammad Ali who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025. | Adam Yosef / SWNS
"I learned to ride my bike on Davey Road and in Aston Park so this hits home.
"This rally is to protest the football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are coming to play Aston Villa.
"We feel like they should be thrown out of FIFA and UEFA and we should not have a genocidal state represented within football in the UK specifically, but also throughout the world.
“So the situation in Gaza is catastrophic, it requires the whole world to unite.
"It's incredibly important to put pressure on the state that is enacting a genocide on the population of Gaza and this is one way of doing it.
"The rally is a non-violent protest and it is the same principle of what ended apartheid in South Africa.
"It's a tried and tested method, we want Israeli teams boycotted and we want them thrown out of competitions.
“The idea that this is rooted in antisemitism is absolutely nonsense. That is not the opinion of anyone I've ever spoken to or anyone I've ever met.
"There is no problem with Jews, there's plenty of Jews in Birmingham we are not targeting Jews in any way, shape or form.
"This is purely against Israel as a state and the actions that Israel is taking against Palestinians.”
Rob Horsfield, 33, added: “A lot of it is to just say the Israeli teams should not be participating in sport.
Rob Horsfield who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025placeholder image
Rob Horsfield who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa. November 6, 2025 | Adam Yosef / SWNS
" We should not be allowing these Israeli teams to participate in sporting and cultural events because essentially Israel has committed a genocide and international norms demand that Israel does not get to participate in the normal international community.
“The Birmingham Palestine Coalition is made up of a lot of people lot of groups and organisations, Stop the War Coalition is one of those as is the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
"We are coming down on Thursday because Maccabi Tel Aviv is playing at Aston Villa.
“Despite the fact that the West Midlands Police have banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the game itself, the government has tried to put pressure on West Midlands Police and in doing so has put a stain on the city of Birmingham by implying that Birmingham is somehow racist somehow unwelcoming and dangerous.
“We saw today that Birmingham has been ranked the second-highest most deprived area in the country.
"The government has done very little to support people in poverty, has just done very little to end the bin strike, done very little to ease the council crisis, but what they have done is communicated to the people of Birmingham that they are welcoming with open arms, violent football hooligans who have been demonstrating time and again in Athens to Amsterdam that they are not safe for people to be around.”
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