Lindsey German on hooligans, pariahs and how to topple tyrants

It is hard to imagine there being an outcry about any other group of violent football fans being banned from an away match where the police and local authority think it’s the right thing to do. But when it comes to the plan to prevent Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match against Aston Villa in Birmingham next month it is a totally different matter. The prime minister no less is demanding the decision be reversed and has spent the last few days driving this outcome, which is very likely to be successful. Every major political party has backed him, saying that it is imperative the fans are able to attend the match, and that any attempt to ban them is a sign of antisemitism.

It seems to me there are two major reasons to oppose the Maccabi fans turning up in Birmingham. Israeli teams should not be playing in the Europa League or anywhere else while the genocide in Gaza continues and while Israel is an apartheid state. This tactic of cultural and sporting boycott is internationally recognised and supported by the Palestinians themselves. But while there is a long history of sporting boycott, most famously over South African apartheid and its fielding of white teams, this is regarded as anathema to Keir Starmer, who has done everything to back Israel in the past two years and who has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to any mild criticism of Netanyahu and his murderous policies.

The impunity with which Israel is treated contrasts very strongly with the myriad sanctions placed on countries who get on the wrong side of Donald Trump. Russia was banned from sporting and cultural events across Europe within days following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yet two years on, there is no such threat facing Israel, despite charges of genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing backed by international bodies.

The second reason is the nature of the fans themselves, who have a reputation for violent racism, most notably when they rampaged in Amsterdam last year, chanting foul racist slogans about Palestinians and tearing down Palestine flags. There have been similar incidents in Greece. The idea that they should be allowed to intimidate the local population around the Aston Villa stadium, which is a residential area of mixed ethnicity, is not supportable.

Incredibly, this has all now been framed to portray the Maccabi fans as innocent victims of antisemitism. But when similar bans are placed on other football teams, it is accepted that the issue is not religion or race. To regard boycott of sporting events as itself antisemitic is to assume that any criticism of Israel must itself be anti-Jewish. This is a lie, and one rejected by many Jewish people themselves. It also effectively wants to deny the right to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, even though this is exactly the sentiment of the majority of people in Britain.

Those who have campaigned against the game are now the subject of a vile campaign of racist abuse. The independent MPs are treated as somehow illegitimate, with Birmingham Perry Bar MP Ayoub Khan targeted for his attempt to get the match called off. So much for free speech, which counts for nothing in this situation. The tables have been turned where now the ‘problem’ is the multiracial population of Birmingham which is being scapegoated, rather than the people who wish to do them harm.

Starmer is doing immense damage with this move which will only galvanise the far right. Already the fascist Tommy Robinson (welcomed as a friend in Israel) has declared that he will be in Birmingham supporting Maccabi Tel Aviv. That should be enough to make Starmer think again, but it won’t be. Instead he will double down. Therefore we can expect tension and clashes in Birmingham if the match goes ahead, with big protests, which will be blamed by politicians on the community rather than on the fascists and the racist Israeli fans.

The rise of the far right is a huge danger in Britain. Reform is consistently ahead in the polls as the two main parties’ support collapses to record lows. The fascists and far-right thugs are more confident than they’ve been for a long time. Anti-Muslim hatred is growing and it is being stirred by the protests against hotels housing asylum seekers and the ‘raise the colours’ movement. Starmer is paving the way for Reform and even worse. His policies make repeated concession to their politics. He also provides succour to the Israeli government rather than supporting the people of Britain’s second city. We must campaign to stop this match and to roll back the racism which fuels it.

No Princes…

I read an extract from the late Virginia Giuffre’s memoir on how she was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew. It is difficult to read without becoming upset and angry in turn. The Royal Family have now forced Andrew out of public life, although he still retains his titles and lives in a big house in Windsor. Big questions surely are: should he have to testify about what he knew over the systematic abuse of many young girls; why did he try to get his state-funded bodyguard to investigate her; and where did the £12 million he paid Giuffre to settle out of court come from? It is rumoured to have come from the late queen’s income from the Duchy of Lancaster.

What is the point of the royal family? They perform tasks which could be done by pretty much anyone, have access to vast amounts of wealth, and are prepared to use it to preserve and protect their own until it becomes impossible. It is six years since Andrew gave his disastrous interview to Emily Maitlis but only now has he been forced to stop using his titles – which after all, does nothing to redress the allegations or wrong against Giuffre. It’s easy to dismiss him as a spoiled and entitled misogynist, but the system of monarchy allows people to behave this way because they are accountable to absolutely no one. It is at the pinnacle of a rotten system of power and privilege which should go.

… and No Kings

Congratulations to those in the US organising the No Kings protests against Trump at the weekend, which attracted millions. The situation there is dire, with harassment and deportation of migrants and serious state capture by Trump and his allies. According to a friend in Chicago, the demo there was around 150,000 – twice that of last time. He also said the Democrats were beginning to intervene in them, but this included repeated chants of ‘USA’ and flag waving. Trump won’t be defeated by this but by working-class people organising to improve their lives and win their demands – which won’t suit the Democrat leadership. But the size of these demos makes them hard for the mainstream politicians to control and can be a spur to much greater protests.

This week: I will be demonstrating in Tower Hamlets on Saturday against the fascists fomenting hate there. We are also planning more Palestine protests so watch this space. On Friday I will be on BBC Radio 4 – Any Questions – please listen if you can.