Nandy warns British MPs against antisemitism during heated Commons row about Maccabi Tel Aviv ban

"The solution is wrong: it chooses exclusion rather than looking at the full options to manage the risk and include [the fans]," she said. "People are free to protest, but they are not able to dictate who can attend a sports match."

Nandy also linked the ban to wider issues with antisemitism in the UK.

Nandy reminded parliament that for those who say that this is "a legitimate ban," the government's assessment  is that "the vast majority of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who want to attend are British, the only distinguishing feature is that they are Jewish."

Several MPs agreed with Nandy during the debate, including MP Peter Prinsley (Labour), who said that while he believed "the police always act in the interests of public safety, and there was no antisemitic intent intended," it is the "threat of the mob that has led to this decision."

MP Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) condemned the selective focus on the Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax match in Amsterdam in 2024, which descended into violent riots. The match was used by several MPs as an example of why Maccabi fans should not be invited; however, Duncan Smith pointed out that there were no issues with Maccabi fans at other matches, such as the one in Istanbul.

"This is antisemitism at its heart," said MP Bob Blackman (Conservative).

MP Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party) agreed, saying, "Is it not a fact that despite some of the excuses coming from MPs behind me, this is all about the religion of the supporters who will be attending this match? And indeed, the only people they will likely be in danger from are the hate mobs who we have seen marching across our streets for months previously, waving Palestinian flags and supporting terrorists."

Wilson demanded that police make the streets safe for Jewish people in the same way as anyone else, "as is their duty."

British-Muslim MP Saqib Bhatti (Conservative) stood behind the Jewish community, saying he was "saddened" for it.

"We are a tolerant, diverse nation, and this decision was bad for two reasons: it was bad for Birmingham, it was bad for the West Midlands, and it was bad for British Muslims, many of whom said they did not want to be dragged into this."

The second reason is that "there will be those who will want to take advantage of this being in the headlines, and will use this to drag Birmingham through the mud," he argued.

However, other MPs strongly disagreed. The most vehement opinions came from MP Zarah Sultana (Your Party), who told the house that "Maccabi Tel Aviv's racist fan hooliganism cannot be separated from Israeli militarism."

She said that, given that "many of these fans are active or former soldiers who have taken part in Israel's genocide in Gaza," fans should be investigated for "war crimes the minute they set foot onto British soil, and they are not welcome into our stadiums."

She then accused the Labour government of being complicit, asking rhetorically, "Is there anything this Labour government won't do to defend the genocidal apartheid state of Israel?"

Nandy responded to Sultana by saying "she is doing the people of Birmingham no favours with that sort of rhetoric" and accused Sultana of antisemitism by conflating all Maccabi Tel Aviv fans with the Israeli government.

MP Ayoub Khan (Independent), whose constituency of Birmingham Perry Barr includes the stadium where the match would take place, accused some MPs of "playing fast and loose" with the public safety of his community. Khan didn't specify further, but the implication was that he was referring to the Muslim community.

"I know the reality on the ground, and I know there has been a deliberate disingenuous move by many to make this a matter of banning Jews, and to conflate matters of policing with those of religion," he said. "But those who are not welcome are hooligans who have a long history of violence and vile racism."

Nandy jabbed back by saying it is "entirely disingenuous" for Khan to say he respects "cohesion and inclusion when [he is] seeking to divide and exclude."

MP Brian Leishman (Labour) expressed similar concerns to Khan, asking, "Does the government not see that Islamophobic behaviour is highly likely if these fans travel to Birmingham? What about the safety of our Muslim citizens?"

Other Muslim MPs also had strong words. MP Adnan Hussain (Independent) brought up the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which "rightly warns against holding Jewish people collectively responsible for Israel's actions." Hussain argued that by calling criticism of Maccabi fans antisemitism, it "actually undermines the definition."

He urged the UK government to apply the same metric to Israel as it does to Russia, which has been excluded from many international sporting and cultural events since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

MP Iqbal Mohamed (Independent) echoed the condemnation of the conflation of antisemitism "with the banning of football hooligans that happen to come from Israel."

"I am not antisemitic, never have been and never will be," he told the house.

"It is absolutely not about banning Jewish people from going to the match or going to Birmingham," said MP Jeremy Corbyn (Your Party), who has a long history of ties to terrorist groups, including Hamas.

Aston Villa has since warned fans against "displaying political symbols, messages or flags" which it says is "strictly prohibited and will result in immediate ejection and the issuing of a stadium ban".