More than 700 police officers will be deployed by West Midlands Police for Aston Villa's match against Maccabi Tel Aviv today (November 6), with five protest events expected by pro Palestine and pro Israel groups.
It comes after the decision to ban Maccabi fans from attending the Europa League fixture on "public safety grounds" after police classified the match as high risk.
Protesters who plan to gather outside Villa Park today to voice their anger include members of the ‘Show Israel the Red Card’ rally.
Aiden Green who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa on November 6 2025.
Aiden Green who is protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, being in Birmingham for their Europa League clash against Aston Villa on November 6 2025.
Aiden Green, 25, a student from Dundee, Scotland, who now lives in Birmingham, said: “It's going to be complete chaos.
"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 is also protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Muhammad Ali is also protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
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.
"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.”
People protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
People protesting against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Rob Horsfield, 33, said: “A lot of it is to just say the Israeli teams should not be participating in sport.
"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.
“It's always a concern when the far right turns up. They're always looking to cause trouble.
"We do know that the far right are essentially cowards and they often don't turn up to this city and they love to portray Birmingham as a dangerous place, which it's not, it's clearly not.
"I've lived here for nine years, I've never had any issues in terms of my safety.
“The Birmingham Palestine Coalition has put forward a number of safety measures to make sure the people who turn up to the protest on Thursday are safe and confident and welcome in their own city.
"We are always on the lookout for any threats and we know that there are two counter protests that have been lodged with the West Midlands Police, that is people who want to support the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans coming here and people who want to cause trouble.
"My message is for people to stay disciplined and together we can peaceful protest on Thursday night.
“We are saying to people in Birmingham, you're not alone.
"We know that the government is trying to isolate us from the rest of the country, and we know the likes of Robert Jenrick MP has said disgusting things about the city of Birmingham, disparaging comments about Handsworth which is right next to Aston.
"We want people to know that they can come and share their concerns and share their voices with us on the day and can do it safely.
“We are here to tell Maccabi Tel Aviv that they are not welcome in Birmingham.
"They are not welcome in any part of Britain but we are proud to have this city be the first place to tell them to do one."
Salman Mirza, 58, migrant and refugee worker from Smethwick, Birmingham, said: "We're going to be waving placards, we're going be waving flags and we're going send a clear message to Israel: ‘You are not welcome in Birmingham in any form.’
“Whether it’s Israeli footballers, whether it’s their fans or arms manufacturers, you're not welcome in Birmingham, go away.
“Also, what we want to do is we want to send that message across to the Palestinians to say ‘You're not forgotten, we're still here we are still resisting, we are still fighting and we just want to give you all the love we can’.”
Jenny Nolan, 57, said: “I support the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Villa game.
“I also support the protest to show Israel the red card. The reason for that is that experts from around the world including Israel have defined Israel's action in Gaza as a genocide and so FIFA and UEFA should kick them out of football.”
The protest is said to have been co-organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Palestinian Forum Britain, CND, Stand Up To Racism and other organisations.
Elsewhere, Aston residents and Villa fans spoke of their concerns ahead of the fixture, with many supporters saying they were staying away due to fears over trouble.
Season ticket holder Jonathan Bradley, 43, of Moseley, said: "I haven't missed a game for more than 20 years but I've decided to keep me and my son away tonight.
"After the Legia Warsaw trouble the other year it's just not worth the risk. Even though there's no away fans everybody is worried it might all kick off.
"Politics should never be brought into football - we just want to go and support our teams. Everyone should have the right to do that.
"I don't think a whole fan group should be banned from watching their club over reasons beyond their control.
"It's a sad state of affairs, it really is."
Fellow Villa fan Simon Henley, 33, of Stechford, said: "I'm not going to let any extremists - no matter what side of the divide - put me off supporting my beloved football club.
"I trust the police to have everything in order and I'll support my team through thick and thin. It was a lose-lose situation whatever the club decided to do, we just want the fixture out of the way."
Aston resident Tariq Lal, 29, said: "Everyone is worried about what might happen, the schools are closing early and some shops are too I believe.
"Everyone is anxious and on edge."
Birmingham World reports one local secondary school and sixth form planned to close earlier than usual today.
The school told families that sixth form students would be dismissed at 12.10pm, while lower school students would be dismissed at 1.00pm.
In a letter sent to parents, the school wrote: “The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority. We strongly encourage all students to make their way home promptly after dismissal, as road closures will begin from 2:00 PM. Please be aware that our location is expected to be a gathering point for match attendees/crowds.”
City centre based school, BOA Creative, Digital and Performing Arts Academy also planned to close early today at 1.15pm.
Similarly, local primary schools in the area such as Mansfield Green E-ACT Primary Academy also planned to close early at 1.15pm.