Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran … War

Originally Posted by Pierre

Will they be taking the knee this weekend?

Forest and Chelsea did. It wasnt well greeted, people are tired of a useless political jesture.

[Carth]

Originally Posted by Paul

Forest and Chelsea did. It wasnt well greeted, people are tired of a useless political jesture.

I think people are fed up with most of the politically correct guff that's taken us over, it's not just sport fans

[denphone]

Originally Posted by thenry

So the government are trying to make this match go ahead as normal. I find it tragic whether or not both sets of fans have thugs. Not any one person will ever dominate this world. I feel the exclusion hands power to a very dangerous presidence. Birmingham doesn't belong to any one faith. Trump declared drug terrorism. Our coward leader should declare this terrorism!

The government and most politicians should leave it to the West Midlands Police as their current intelligence has been proved to be absolutely spot on.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by denphone

The government and most politicians should leave it to the West Midlands Police as their current intelligence has been proved to be absolutely spot on.

So, do you think that Maccabi fans should be banned from the game?

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by denphone

The government and most politicians should leave it to the West Midlands Police as their current intelligence has been proved to be absolutely spot on.

exactly

Tel Aviv football derby between Hapoel and Maccabi called off after rioting


https://www.theguardian.com/football...-after-rioting

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

So, do you think that Maccabi fans should be banned from the game?

Yes is the simple answer and it has nothing to do with religion.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by denphone

Yes is the simple answer and it has nothing to do with religion.

Would that be fair given the Muslim influence in Birmingham?
Would it not be best for the police to be augmented with additional resources? Don't you think there is an anti-Israel element to this ban?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Would that be fair given the Muslim influence in Birmingham?
Would it not be best for the police to be augmented with additional resources? Don't you think there is an anti-Israel element to this ban?

Why?, as the Police's job is to weigh the security risk and then make a rational, reasoned decision, it happens a fair amount when it comes to football matches.

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Would that be fair given the Muslim influence in Birmingham?
Would it not be best for the police to be augmented with additional resources? Don't you think there is an anti-Israel element to this ban?

Do you think there was one at this ban?

Tel Aviv football derby between Hapoel and Maccabi called off after rioting

Or any of these?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football...s/c203z1d0yjwo

Or Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/...07409-20251018

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Would that be fair given the Muslim influence in Birmingham?
Would it not be best for the police to be augmented with additional resources? Don't you think there is an anti-Israel element to this ban?

I think the Police are looking at a bunch of football-following hooligans and seeing them as just that. I don't think they should be given special treatment because of the country they hail from.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I think the Police are looking at a bunch of football-following hooligans and seeing them as just that. I don't think they should be given special treatment because of the country they hail from.

But there's a context. An extant antisemitism context. Had the scene been different, a ban could be justified if additional resources to police the crowds couldn't be found.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I think the Police are looking at a bunch of football-following hooligans and seeing them as just that. I don't think they should be given special treatment because of the country they hail from.

I think you have it the wrong way round, the police have based their original decision looking at the safety of the Maccabi fans from pro-Hamas protestors, not from Maccabi football hooligans.

West Midlands Police said they partly based their decision about next month's match on what happened last year, when violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted around the UEFA Europa League football match between Dutch club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Five men were given prison sentences for attacks on visiting fans in riots denounced as antisemitic by Dutch authorities and foreign leaders, including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

[Sephiroth]

This is very serious. If the Police are afraid of pro-Hamas thugs, then what hope is there when said thugs decide to come onto the streets anyway?

We (the UK) seems to be at the mercy (to some degree at least) of the enemy within.

[tweetiepooh]

I wouldn't read it as fear of the thugs but that it causes a volatile situation that can be avoided. If they had let the fans in and something happened then they would be blamed for ignoring intelligence that warned something could happen.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

I wouldn't read it as fear of the thugs but that it causes a volatile situation that can be avoided. If they had let the fans in and something happened then they would be blamed for ignoring intelligence that warned something could happen.

This really is rock/hard place stuff. BUT -

If the fear is that pro-Hamas groups will enact street violence because Maccabi fans are attending a footie match, then it is the pro-Hamas lot that need to be dealt with. This violent, antisemitic minority must not be able to dictate events.