Ten people were arrested but police said there was no serious disorder and no disruption to the game between Villa and Israeli side
700 officers were part of the massive police op at Villa Park
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West Midlands Police said a major operation at Villa Park 'passed without any major incident' last night.
More than 700 officers policed Aston Villa's match against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League amid a number of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protest groups outside the ground.
Police said there was no serious disorder and no disruption to the game. In total ten people were arrested with five still in custody today, Friday, November 7.
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Police said the arrests were made for a variety of offences in the area, including racially aggravated abuse towards both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups.
The five still being held included a man, aged 21, accused of trying to throw fireworks into the ground, and two men, aged 34 and 29, accused of a racially-aggravated public order offence after shouting abuse at pro-Israel demonstrators.
(Image: Getty Images)
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Two people were cautioned and two were released with no further action.
A 21-year-old man was charged with failing to remove a face covering during a Section 60.
The 700-plus officers on duty last night came from more than 20 police forces around the country.
Chief Supt Tom Joyce, of Birmingham Police, said: "A huge amount of planning went into the operation, with the aim of preventing crime and disorder and disruption to the game, and keeping everyone safe.
"The operation achieved its aims of keeping everyone in attendance safe, and this is down to the hard work of all the officers and staff, from West Midlands Police and other forces around the country.
"People were able to exercise their right to protest, whilst others came to enjoy a football game, and we have already had some positive feedback from members of the public who were there.
"Our work to listen to the concerns of Birmingham will continue, and we remain proud to serve such a diverse region.
"We’d like to thank the people living in and around Aston who have worked us closely in the build-up to the game.
"They shared their concerns with us and we are able to respond to those concerns and make them a part of our preparations for the day."