Tim Dieppe responds after leaked minutes from a safety advisory group meeting show that the police procured false evidence to justify banning Israeli fans from coming to support their football team
The Sunday Times reported this week that leaked minutes from a safety advisory group meeting show that the police procured false evidence to justify banning Israeli fans from coming to support their team against Aston Villa in November.
It was only after the decision was challenged that evidence to support the decision to ban Israeli fans was sought. In fact, as we now know, it was threats from militant Muslims that the police were concerned about. This sorry story shows once again that Islam is growing in influence in the UK. This time to the extent that the police will lie rather than confront Islamic demands.
False claims about Israeli fans
West Midlands Police made claims about the behaviour of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters at a game in Amsterdam in November 2024. However, police in the Netherlands dismissed these claims as untrue or misleading. West Midlands police exaggerated the police response to disorder in Amsterdam, increasing the claimed officers deployed from 1,200 officers to 5,000 officers.
However, a report from Amsterdam Ministry of Justice makes clear that the violence was targeting Israeli supporters rather than from Israeli supporters, and says that “Amsterdam police deployed more than 800 officers.”
Threat ratings altered
Police threat ratings were changed to upgrade the threat to Muslim Communities from ‘Medium’ to ‘High’, and to downgrade the risk to Israeli fans from ‘High’ to ‘Medium’ in the month before the match took place. The Jewish Community initially had a ‘Medium’ threat rating, but were not rated in the final analysis. There was absolutely no justification for these changes.
Local Muslim campaign
It was leaders in the Muslim community who campaigned for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to be banned from attending the match in Birmingham. The local MP, Ayoub Khan, went so far as to demand the match be cancelled, launching a petition to this effect. Khan was elected to Parliament in the general election in 2024 as an independent candidate backed by The Muslim Vote. Part of the rationale for cancelling the match cited in the petition text was that Aston in Birmingham, is a “predominantly Muslim community” and that therefore allowing Israeli fans to attend “poses a real risk of tensions within the community and disorder.” Police have confirmed that they had discussions with Khan, but have denied that there was any political pressure on the force.
Threats to Israeli fans – not from them
It was only when West Midlands Police’s chief constable, Craig Guildford appeared before the home affairs select committee this week that he admitted that he was aware that “vigilante groups” from the local community were planning to attack Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. He refused to apologise for not mentioning this before.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara said: “We got a lot of information or intelligence to suggest that people were going to actively seek out Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and would seek violence towards them.” What were they doing with this intelligence? They knew people were planning to commit violent crimes. Did they arrest anyone or take any other action? It seems not. Rather they made up reasons not to allow Israeli fans to attend the match.
So, the decision to ban the Israeli fans was not due to the threat posed by them, which is the case the police made in public. It was actually due to the threat to the Israeli fans from the local community. This was a case of deliberately seeking to blame the victims rather than admit the awful truth that they could not contemplate trying to protect Israeli fans from the local militant Muslims.
Police chief should resign or be sacked
The pressure on Craig Guildford to resign is mounting. His position is clearly untenable. He has deliberately misled the public and acted to avoid upsetting the militant Muslim community that he is supposed to be policing. If he doesn’t resign, the Home Secretary has the power to dismiss him. Pressure on her to do so is also mounting. I will be surprised if he remains in place for another week.
Islam is the problem
Meanwhile, few people are prepared to name Islam as the real problem here. The BBC managed to put out a 976-word report on this story without a single mention of ‘Islam’ or ‘Muslim’. The BBC headline reads “No conspiracy over Israeli football fans ban, West Midlands Police say”. It reads like an attempt to defend the police decision.
But let’s be honest here. Islam is the real problem. We have a Muslim MP, Muslim councillors, and local militant Muslims who wanted Israeli fans banned. Some of these local militant Muslims, we now know, and the police knew beforehand, were planning acts of violence towards Israeli fans. Aston according to the latest data is 78% Muslim. According to the last census, some areas are over 90% Muslim.
But we have seen the facts on the ground and they are deeply connected to Islam’s teachings. Islam, as I have argued before, is not a religion of peace. While there are many peaceful Muslims, the religion itself, as judged by its texts and the example of its founder, is not peaceful. Furthermore, as I have also argued before, Islam is antisemitic. This explains the hatred of Jews and plans to commit violence towards Jewish fans. It also explains attempts by Muslims, including Ayoub Khan MP, to downplay the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
The police consulted various mosques in Birmingham with a documented history of antisemitism. When questioned about this in Parliament the police chief denied that he was aware of this antisemitism. This denial is untenable. The police cannot claim to be unaware of the antisemitic teaching in these mosques.
Who runs Birmingham?
The question now is who runs Birmingham. It is clearly not the police. The police, as it stands, will do anything to avoid having to confront the local militant Muslim community. They will even fabricate evidence and lie about the threats to avoid this. The fact is, then, that it is the militant Muslims who run Birmingham. When they raise a threat, the authorities capitulate.
Here, then, is the truth that gives the lie to that well-worn phrase that “diversity is our strength”. Diversity of this kind is our downfall. The police capitulating to local Muslims is the fruit of multiculturalism.
Will there be change?
The hope has to be that this whole sorry story provokes some change. First is the resignation or removal of Craig Guildford from West Midlands Police. This has to serve as an example to police both in West Midlands and beyond. Second, we need some frank and honest conversations. Are politicians prepared to back up the police to enforce the law without fear or favour? If not then we will see more stories like this in the coming years. Perhaps more resignations, but no real change.
Change will only come when mainstream politicians decide to get serious about enforcing the law fairly. No more arresting street preachers for offending Muslims because that is easier than arresting the Muslims who are actually committing crimes. No more two-tier policing. No more capitulating to militant Muslim threats.
At present, though, the government is intent on adopting an official definition of ‘anti-Muslim hatred.’ Imagine how much worse policing will be if a definition like this starts to guide their thinking. Already they dare not name Islam! Already they avoid policing militant Muslims. An official definition will only embolden militant Muslims further and exacerbate these problems.
Sadly, therefore, I am not optimistic that this will provoke the change we need. Very few politicians are even prepared to name Islam as the problem at present. Until this changes, militant Muslims will only get bolder and increase in influence, and the police will continue to avoid confronting them and will continue arrest or blame others to justify their actions.
