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West Midlands police “did not do themselves any favours” when giving evidence to MPs about a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, a Birmingham Jewish leader has said.
The force’s chief constable, Craig Guildford, is facing growing calls from MPs and Jewish groups to resign after further details emerged about the circumstances surrounding a ban on away fans attending the Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 6 November.
Senior officers were challenged by a cross-party committee on Tuesday, where they insisted the ban was “based on safety” and was not politically influenced. MPs questioned the police on the evidence they had gathered, which they said seemed “one sided” and inflated the threat of Maccabi fans.
Ruth Jacobs, the chair of the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community, which represents about 1,500 Jewish members, said on Wednesday that it was still not clear what led to the ban made by the council-led security advisory group (SAG) and there continued to be “conflicting reports”.
“The police did not do themselves any favours yesterday [at the home affairs select committee]” she said. “They didn’t really explain their position clearly which left me feeling confused.”
The ban and subsequent revelations have “caused a lot of frustration, anger, disappointment, confusion” among Jewish people in the West Midlands, Jacobs added.
Some members felt this “very strongly and are advocating for further action”, including for the chief constable to resign, although many did not share this view, she said.
The leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD), have called for Guildford to resign, claiming officers had made a decision to ban fans first then “searched for evidence to justify it”.
“The police excluded (having initially included) any assessment of the significant risk to the Jewish community, and claimed to have consulted the local community in advance of the decision, which they had not,” the BoD statement added.
Jacobs, who received a formal apology from West Midlands police for not consulting the group before the ban was announced on 16 October, said police shared their intelligence on 17 October that there was a possibility of disruption from Maccabi Ultra fans as well as members of Birmingham’s wider community.
Earlier this week, a police report dated 5 September was published which contained claims that locals in Birmingham might “arm” themselves.
The West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Labour’s Simon Foster, announced a formal review of the evidence provided to the committee by West Midlands police on Wednesday.
Jacobs said she believed the police chief’s assertion that the ban on fans was not politically motivated. However, she said she believed there were “political motivations” from councillors who attended the SAG that had previously expressed “strong views on Israel”.
The Guardian previously reported on redacted minutes from a meeting of the SAG on 16 October – the day the ban was announced – which showed Jewish communities had warned West Midlands police the ban on fans “could be perceived as antisemitic”.
Despite the growing calls for the chief’s resignation, Jacobs said there were still many who felt “very appreciative” of the way officers have “looked after” the Jewish community since the 7 October attacks.
“The Maccabi business is a separate sort of incident and I don’t think that for most of us, I don’t think that detracts from the day-to-day or week-to-week experience that we have with the police,” she said.
In response, the Labour leader of Birmingham city council, John Cotton, said he had told the chief constable in October that he “did not believe a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was the right outcome”.
“Under my leadership, the council and the SAG are committed to reviewing their processes, and to improve for the future,” he added.
West Midlands police was contacted for comment.
