Jewish group calls for West Midlands Police Chief to be sacked over ban on Israeli football fans from Aston Villa match
A British Jewish organisation has called for a police chief facing scrutiny over a decision to ban fans of an Israeli football team from attending a match in Birmingham to be sacked.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford should be removed from his job after he was grilled by a cross-party group of MPs.
The organisation said the force had made a decision to ban fans first and then “searched for evidence to justify it”.
Mr Guildford has insisted the move was not politically influenced.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also called for the chief constable to be sacked, saying his position was “untenable”.
“West Midlands Police capitulated to Islamists and then collaborated with them to cover it up,” she said on X.
“They knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match, and their response was to blame and remove Jewish people instead. They presented an inversion of reality and misled a Parliamentary Committee.”
Force leaders defended their position at the Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday after being recalled to give further evidence over the controversial decision to ban fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa on November 6.
Supporters of the Israeli football team were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park by the local Safety Advisory Group (Sag), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force.
The decision by the Sag – which is made up of representatives from the council, police and other authorities – sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Since then, doubts have been growing over the intelligence used by police, including disputes over the accuracy of information.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “We have been watching carefully the West Midlands Police’s response to questions about their unprecedented recommendation to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their team’s match against Aston Villa – a decision condemned by the Jewish community and across the political spectrum.
“It seems that the police reached a decision first, and then searched for evidence to justify it, apparently influenced by the threat posed by local extremists.
“It is also apparent that claims about the previous behaviour of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were unsubstantiated or erroneous.
“The Police excluded (having initially included) any assessment of the significant risk to the Jewish community, and claimed to have consulted the local community in advance of the decision, which they had not.”
Mr Guildford earlier told the committee: “From everything that I’ve read, and the commanders that I spoke to, I do not believe that there was political influence on that decision.
“Lots of local politicians and local members of the community I’m sure wanted to try and influence it, but I honestly don’t think it was influenced.”
Amid continued scrutiny of the ban, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered the policing watchdog to examine how forces in England and Wales provide risk assessments to safety advisory groups, which inform on measures around high-profile events.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services will hand its findings to Ms Mahmood by March 31.
