UK police arrest 6 ahead of soccer match between Aston Villa and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv

LONDON (AP) — British police said six people were arrested Thursday evening ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League soccer match with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, a match that has seen fans of the Israeli team banned.

West Midlands Police, which has deployed more than 700 officers over concerns of clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups, said a 21-year-old man was arrested for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask while a 17-year-old boy was arrested for failing to comply with a dispersal order.

Three others were arrested for racially aggravated public order offenses and another for breach of the peace.

Before the match, around 200 protesters including members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, gathered near a children’s playpark adjacent to Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott of Israel had also been placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid pro-Gaza chants.

Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters saying “keep antisemitism out of football,” also gathered on a basketball court close to the Doug Ellis Stand to hear various speakers opposing the ban.

Five vehicles were also driven past the ground prior to kick-off, carrying electronic billboards showing messages opposing antisemitism.

One of the messages, beside a Star of David, read “Ban hatred not fans” while another carried a quote from French soccer legend Thierry Henry saying football is not about goals but bringing people together.

The atmosphere became particularly heated when police officers briefly formed a cordon to prevent a surge of protesters after an Israeli flag was reportedly waved by a passer-by.

There has been a sharp focus on the match. which Premier League side Aston Villa won 2-0, after officials in Birmingham decided last month to ban visiting fans from attending. The decision was widely criticized, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but lauded by others, who said Maccabi fans have a recent history of violence.

West Midlands Police said it had deemed the match to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents,” including violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax in Amsterdam last season.

The ban came at a time of heightened worries about antisemitism in Britain following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue last month and calls from Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza. Hopes that the recent ceasefire would ease tensions appear premature.