VIDEO SHOWS: ASTON VILLA FANS SHOUTING AT POLICE / PRO PALESTINE PROTEST / PRO ISRAEL PROTEST / SOUNDBITE FROM MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN / SOUNDBITE FROM PRO PALESTINE PROTESTERS EDITORS NOTE – PROFANE LANGUAGE DURING DEMONSTRATION IN SHOTS 5 & 6 & 16 SHOWS: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 6, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. ASTON VILLA FANS ARGUING WITH POLICE 2. FAN WAVING UNION JACK FLAG 3. CLOSE UP OF FAN WITH FLAG 4. VARIOUS OF PRO PALESTINE PROTESTERS 5. ASTON VILLA FANS ARGUING WITH POLICE (PROFANE LANGUAGE) 6. CLOSE OF POLICE / VILLA FANS ARGUING (PROFANE LANGUAGE) 7. FAN WITH UNION JACK TELLING PROTESTERS TO TAKE THEIR MASKS OFF / PROTESTER WITH MASK OFF 8. VARIOUS OF POLICE ON HORSEBACK 9. PROTESTERS WITH PALESTINE FLAGS 10. FAN HOLDING SIGN SAYING 'GIVE MACCABI RED CARD' 11. PROTESTERS 12. VARIOUS OF FEMALE PROTESTER SHOUTING INTO MICROPHONE 13. FLAGS 14. PROTESTER WITH MEGAPHONE 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRO PALESTINE PROTESTERS WHO DID NOT GIVE THEIR NAMES SAYING: "It is not antisemitic to be against Israel. They are literally killing people and there are also Jewish Palestinians as well. We're not anti-Semitic. We're just against murder of like families and children. So we are not just saying Palestinian children. We wouldn't want that to happen to Israelis. We don't want that to happen to no children at all. Israel holds all the cards and they could stop if they wanted to. So their deaths are in their hands, too." 16. PROTESTER HOLDING SIGN SAYING 'KEEP ANTISEMITISM OUT OF FOOTBALL' (PROFANE LANGUAGE) 17. VARIOUS OF ISRAELI FLAG 18. MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN ADDRESSING PROTEST 19. MACCABI TEL AVIV FLAG 20. (SOUNDBITE)(English) ITAI GAL, MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN LIVING IN LONDON: "Well, I think it's a sad affair where Jewish people are not allowed to come to a football game solely because they are from Israel or because they are Jews. And that's a culmination of a capitulation mentality that the authorities in Britain have been demonstrating constantly in the last two years." 21. (SOUNDBITE)(English) ITAI GAL, MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN LIVING IN LONDON SAYING ON WHETHER GAME WOULD HAVE PASSED OFF CALMLY WITH FANS PRESENT: "I think that it will be as peaceful as any other game in the United Kingdom. I think there will be… look again I say we have nothing against Aston Villa as a club or their fans. We wanted to come and take part of a celebration of football for us tonight and we've been robbed of our opportunity to do so. It's nothing to do with that particular club or those particular fans. I don't see any reason why we would have. We would have issue with the Islamist mob. That's definitely. But I expect the police to deal with the aggressors, not with the victims. That's how it works in a law and order country." 22. VARIOUS OF MAN ADDRESSING CROWD AT ANTISEMITISM PROTEST 23. PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD AT PROTEST STORY: A group of Aston Villa fans vented their anger at police as tensions ran high at their club's Europa League tie against Maccabi Tel Aviv. With Israeli sports teams a focus for pro-Palestinian protests during the Gaza conflict and Villa initially saying away fans would be barred on police advice, Maccabi reluctantly opted not to accept tickets for visiting supporters. West Midlands police said there would be a big police presence in the centre of Birmingham, which has a large Muslim population, and around the stadium. Police officers were seen patrolling the area outside the stadium and a small group of protesters were gathered with pro-Palestinian banners. Just before kick off, a group of Aston Villa fans passed the protest site and traded insults with the protesters, before shouting at police. Fans and protesters were kept apart, and during that particular incident, no arrests were made. The initial decision to bar Maccabi fans from the Villa game was opposed by the UK government, but the Israeli club anyway decided to keep its fans away given the "toxic atmosphere." (Production: Will Russell, Stefan Haskins)
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