West Midlands Police sought guidance from three Birmingham mosques with track records of hosting anti-semitic preachers before deciding to block Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending an Aston Villa Europa League fixture last year.
The force has faced mounting scrutiny over its decision to bar Israeli fans from Villa Park, which officers justified as a measure to prevent violent conduct by the visiting club’s supporters.
Chief Constable Craig Guilford stands accused of “fabricating evidence” of hooliganism to justify a prohibition “demanded by Islamists.”
In correspondence released by MPs, Mr Guilford stated that officers “undertook extensive community engagement prior to the fixture” with “Muslim community leaders and mosque representatives.”
Three of the eight Muslim organisations consulted as part of the force’s “community engagement” process have now been revealed to have previously hosted speakers who spread anti-Jewish conspiracy theories or incited violence against Jews.
Representatives from Al-Habib mosque were among those approached by officers. This mosque had previously hosted a preacher who urged worshippers to read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated anti-Semitic text alleging Jewish plans for global domination.
In a talk entitled “Knowing the Facts,” delivered shortly after the October 7 Hamas attacks, the preacher asserted that Jews intended to “become sole rulers of the world” and described the document as an “eye opener” he had read “cover to cover.”
At Jame mosque, another consulted organisation, a preacher delivered an Arabic prayer in November 2023 calling for the killing of Jewish people: “Allah, count them all, and kill them one by one, and don’t let any one of them get away.”
West Midlands Police was advised by Birmingham mosques, which hosted anti-semitic preachers, in its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Villa Park
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Green Lane Mosque, the third organisation involved in the police’s community impact assessment, had £2 million in government funding withdrawn in 2023 following footage of preacher Shaykh Abu Usamah At-Thahab stating that “homosexuality is not permissible.”
The mosque stated at the time that the footage was misleading and taken out of context, adding that it rejected violent extremism and hate crime while promoting respect and tolerance between communities.
In separate remarks unconnected to the mosque, Shaykh Usamah advanced an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the World Cup, claiming Jews “keep the people busy with sports and games” and “that’s why all those people make all that money,” per The Telegraph.
Mr Guilford acknowledged in his letter to MPs that there was “no documented feedback from Jewish representatives…that expressed support for the ban” and apologised for “any confusion caused.”
West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford has faced intense criticism over the November ban
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PAHe maintained that some Jewish individuals in Birmingham had voiced support “in confidence.”
Internal Birmingham city council meeting minutes revealed that officials had raised concerns the prohibition would be perceived as “anti-Jewish” and could “undermine trust and increase reputational risk for authorities and the club.”
The ban proceeded on November 6 despite these warnings, triggering criticism from both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who stated they had not been informed of the decision beforehand.
Sir Keir also denounced the ban as “wrong” and indicated it amounted to anti-Semitism.
Lord Austin, the former Labour MP, branded Mr Guilford’s position as “untenable” and accused the force of being “repeatedly caught lying.”
He said: “Instead of upholding the law, the police capitulated to a campaign organised by local councillors, sectarian politicians, Islamist extremists and other local trouble-makers.”
Lord Walney, formerly the Government’s anti-extremism adviser, warned that consulting mosques with “extremist” connections demonstrated the “real world consequences of the growing sectarianism within our country.”
He added: “West Midlands Police’s apparent acquiescence to organisations accused of shocking extremism sets a very dangerous precedent.”
West Midlands Police’s ‘acquiescence to organisations accused of shocking extremism’ was said to set a ‘very dangerous precedent’
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PAConservative MP Nick Timothy declared that the intelligence underpinning the decision to exclude Israeli and Jewish supporters from Villa Park had “completely collapsed.”
He said: “We know from official documents now that the police fitted the evidence to meet the demand by local politicians and extremists to keep Israelis out of Birmingham.”
He continued: “And now we have categorical evidence that the police proactively sought the advice of imams and mosques that stand accused of anti-Semitism.”
Mr Guilford is scheduled to appear before the home affairs committee on Tuesday, where MPs are expected to question him about the mosques his force approached during its consultation process.