As-salamu alaykum - Tommy Robinson hints he may attend Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv after away fans banned
As-salamu alaykum - Heads up: British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) has suggested he might go to Aston Villa’s Europa League game with Maccabi Tel Aviv next month, after officials said Israeli away fans would not be allowed to travel to Birmingham.
Robinson urged his followers to “support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park” for the Nov. 6 match and shared a picture of himself wearing the Israeli club’s shirt from a visit to Tel Aviv.
West Midlands Police and Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group announced the ban this week, saying they were worried about possible violent clashes in a part of the city where roughly 30% of residents are Muslim. The move has been criticised by government figures and campaigners, some of whom are threatening legal action to overturn it.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have both asked for the decision to be looked at again. Local MPs had lobbied for the restriction after warning it could spark unrest, pointing to trouble at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s game against Ajax in Amsterdam last year.
Robinson’s recent trip to Israel was at the invitation of Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli. While there he toured the Gaza border, visited a West Bank settlement, met with anti-migrant activists in south Tel Aviv, and spoke to a crowd of about 1,000 people - though he was briefly heckled by a protester.
Mainstream Jewish groups criticised the visit, saying Chikli was giving legitimacy to an extremist figure. The Board of Deputies of British Jews called Robinson “the very worst of Britain,” and Chikli hit back, accusing the group of being “politically adrift.”
Officials from government, the police and Birmingham City Council are expected to discuss the situation further this week.
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