The pro-Palestine protest will go on for the duration of the match, with groups coming together in peaceful chants, Mr Malik said.
When the ban was imposed, it emerged West Midlands Police had classified the fixture “high risk”, citing “violent clashes and hate crime offences” during a November 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Amsterdam.
Groups planning to stage protests this Thursday also highlighted events in Amsterdam and said behaviour caught on camera and posted on social media included anti-Palestinian chants, racial slurs, and damage to infrastructure.
Abu Umaymah, from the Palestine Academy, said it was unacceptable the match was going ahead not only because of team was “complicit in the ongoing genocide”, but also the “racist behaviour of the team’s fans”.
He said: “It is not enough that the fans are not allowed to attend this match.”
