UK Police Criticized for Concealing Threats Against Israeli Soccer Fans

The police force in central England’s West Midlands is facing intense scrutiny amid the emergence of new evidence related to its decision to ban Israeli soccer fans from attending a match in Birmingham in November.Appearing before the Commons home affairs committee this week for a second round of questioning, the force’s senior leaders were accused of wrongfully identifying Maccabi Tel Aviv fans as the threat to public safety when their own intelligence suggested the Israeli visitors were the ones at risk.Documents presented during the hearing showed that the police force had received “high confidence intelligence” that locals in the majority-Muslim neighborhood sought to “arm” themselves against the Israeli soccer fans. Additional intelligence indicated the existence of “local hostility towards the visitors based on their nationality.”The leader of the Birmingham City Council, John Cotton, told the committee on Tuesday that the police did not share such findings. Instead, the force proceeded with banning the Israeli fans from attending the game and justified the move by portraying the Israelis as “uniquely violent.”Documents show that the police assessment was amended later to downgrade the risk to Maccabi fans and instead misrepresent them a high risk to locals.Throughout the hearing, members of the force defended their actions, with Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara insisting the decision was “based on safety” and that “there was no conspiracy.” While he acknowledged that intelligence suggested individuals would “seek violence” against Maccabi fans, he claimed there were also concerns that the Israeli visitors would target the community.Members of Parliament, however, challenged the officials. Conservative MP Karen Bradley, who chairs the committee, accused the police of “scraping to find a reason” to impose their ban on Israeli soccer fans.A Tory MP and former Home Office special adviser, Nick Timothy, appearing exasperated, questioned why the force did not publicly share the intelligence gathered regarding the risks posed to Israeli fans.“How is it that this committee is just hearing this for the first time?” he asked. The chief constable for the West Midlands police force, Craig Guildford, responded by stating that “this is the first time that you’ve asked for that detail.”Mr. Timothy took his criticisms further on X, accusing the police force of choosing to “appease the mob” and of “lying” repeatedly to justify its actions. He further proclaimed that “what was left of the credibility of West Midlands Police has been destroyed today.”Following the contentious hearing, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch led calls for Mr. Guildford to resign, calling his position “untenable.”“West Midlands police capitulated to Islamists and then collaborated with them to cover it up,” Ms. Badenoch stated 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. We have had enough of this in Britain.”

UK Police Criticized for Concealing Threats Against Israeli Soccer Fans

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