The legal and ethical earthquake from Israel’s carnage in Gaza was never going to be contained there. As the Aston Villa row shows, the shockwaves for Britain will keep growing louder
No one should be surprised that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confected yet another duplicitous antisemitism furore last week - one in which he implicitly cast West Midlands Police as colluding in Jew hatred and insisted that British Muslims be exposed to racist violence from visiting foreign football hooligans.
Starmer had demanded that a decision by the police to bar fans of an Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, from attending a Europa League match in Birmingham next month be overturned.
He indicated that the West Midlands force had approved the ban on the grounds that hatred towards Jews in Britain had reached such fever pitch that police could no longer guarantee the Israeli fans’ safety from antisemitic violence.
His reasoning defamed both the British public and the police. The media lost no time in amplifying his narrative.
But Starmer’s claims were pure disinformation - as he surely knew from the police intelligence reports that must have been submitted to him before he called for the ban to be reversed.
No one should be surprised that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confected yet another duplicitous antisemitism furore last week - one in which he implicitly cast West Midlands Police as colluding in Jew hatred and insisted that British Muslims be exposed to racist violence from visiting foreign football hooligans.
Starmer had demanded that a decision by the police to bar fans of an Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, from attending a Europa League match in Birmingham next month be overturned.
He indicated that the West Midlands force had approved the ban on the grounds that hatred towards Jews in Britain had reached such fever pitch that police could no longer guarantee the Israeli fans’ safety from antisemitic violence.
His reasoning defamed both the British public and the police. The media lost no time in amplifying his narrative.
But Starmer’s claims were pure disinformation - as he surely knew from the police intelligence reports that must have been submitted to him before he called for the ban to be reversed.
Continue @ Middle East Eye.
Maccabi Tel Aviv were able to play in Muslim majority Turkey with their fans in attendance with no issue. Why did Birmingham City Council want them banned? I'll be watching the actions around the stadium very closely.
ReplyDeleteOne of their matches in the same country had to be relocated to Hungary.
DeleteAnother was banned within recent weeks in Tel Aviv because of the potential for violence.
But think Amsterdam where they applied their violence, got a bloody nose and then had Netanyahu scream antisemitism.
West Midlands Police had intelligence of possible trouble from Maccabi Ultras. Then Tommy Robinson got in on the act and threatened Solidarity with the Isrselis. Maccabi Tel Aviv hen decided not to sell tickets for the match . End of.
ReplyDelete