Pro-Palestine groups promise ‘peaceful protests’ outside Villa Park during controversial Maccabi Tel Aviv clash
The news comes after West Midlands Police confirmed it will be deploying more than 700 officers in an attempt to maintain law and order ahead of the controversial fixture.
Local authorities had previously said that Maccabi fans would be blocked from attending the game, with West Midlands Police classifying the fixture as ‘high-risk’ based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, which included the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted ahead of that match last November, with five men later handed prison sentences.
The Government has pushed for West Midlands Police to “provide what is necessary” to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans can attend the match, but after the ban the Israeli club said they would not apply for tickets for their fans.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, as well as other organisations including Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Kashmir solidarity campaign and Palestinian Forum in Britain have called for the match to be cancelled and have jointly organised the protest.
The West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign has released a statement signalling its intent to peacefully protest outside the ground at 6pm on Thursday (November 6) for the duration of the match.
The statement reads: “Activists in support of Palestine will join together from across the country outside Aston Villa football ground on Thursday, November 6, 2025 in protest of the match being held against Maccabi Tel Aviv, a local team in the Israeli football league.
“Despite national outrage against the hosting of the Israeli football team, the match is being allowed to go ahead but fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv have not been allowed to purchase tickets.”
Naeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said: “The calls to cancel this match have been ignored despite the risks that it carries, therefore we must urge activists to unite in protest against this match.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv has been directly involved in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, because the club, through the Israel Football Association, is involved in Israel’s colonial settlement infrastructure in the occupied West Bank.
“Its involvement in contributing to what’s happening on the West Bank has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the suffering of further thousands of people. This match should not be allowed to go ahead even without the fans present.”
Abu Umaymah, from Palestine Academy, a community activist and supporter of the protest added: “It is not enough that the fans are not allowed to attend this match. Organisations complicit in the genocide of Palestinians must be called out and concerns about them actually taken on board by our Government.
“For over two years the death toll in Gaza has continued to increase and the calls for justice for those innocent lives lost are not being listened to. This cannot continue.
“The protest will take place on Thursday, November 6, from 6pm for the duration of the match. Groups will come together to peacefully chant and there will be information stalls hosted by activist groups.
“The city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) advised that the match scheduled at Aston Villa football ground on November 6 should go ahead but with away fans not being allowed to attend for safety reasons. Pressure is being applied on the SAG group to reverse their original decision, risking the safety and security of the residents in the city and the football fans attending the match.
“Despite the announcement of a peace deal and ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have continued to fire on Palestinian civilians resulting in further deaths with the death toll exceeding over 60,000 people and the casualties at around 200,000.”
