The combined Maccabi thread - now with are you going? poll

[WassallVillain]

It does look cage like if they were in the sports court.

30 to 40 is being quite generous I think. Looked more like 10 to 15 to me. They weren’t in the ball pen. They were further down Witton lane just inside the entrance gate which was open.  They were just stood silently holing up an Israeli flag and 1 placard. At least that’s all I could see. I must admit it was only a casual glance as I walked by I happened to see them by accident rather than my attention being drawn to them by any rowdiness or over policing.

[Somniloquism]

TBH that was where I expected them to be when it was first mentioned they were "in the park on Witton Road".

[dave.woodhall]

If one thing came out of last night it's the overwhelming bias of the media in such cases. Whether Islamophobic or pro-Israeli, something very nasty was revealed.

[WassallVillain]

Conflict and division sells much better than peace and unity.

[Crown Hill]

TBH that was where I expected them to be when it was first mentioned they were "in the park on Witton Road".

Yes that was me and somebody questioned me calling it a park. I think 30-40 in there including Tommy Robinson newspaper types. Some shock jock on GB News I think Josh Howie called it a Jew Cage and to at seemed too attractive to other media not to exaggerate.

Seemed effective policing to me as open space on the other side of the ground to the Palestinian mob, a lot of whom seems to come from Dudley judging by their fluorescent jackets.

[NickF]

The police did a pretty good job in controlling proceedings. I have to say I am a little disturbed by the fact that I have witnessed a mob at the gates of Villa Park spewing hatred that was not just a protest aganst a foreign governments actions but was openly anti semitic and yet comments on here reference the far right or Islamophobia as if this is the issue. All hatred is wrong isn't it? Very depressing

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

It does look cage like if they were in the sports court.

I've watched away games more cage like. The Old Dell, top corner of the side terrace at Maine Road.

[Somniloquism]

Most reports had the Pro-palestine protestors shouting "Free Palestine" and I suppose mention of the genocide. And an eyewitness from here mentioned some Villa fans shouting at them because of the colour of their skin.

What were the blatently anti-semitic statements you heard?

[PeterWithesShin]

Just before kick off a group of Villa were in front of the pro-Palestine singing the Robinson and also "you can stick your Palestine up your arse".

The worst I've seen from the Palestine folks was one shouting "allahu akbar" and then a chant of "death to the IDF" which both happened when the twat with the Israeli flag deliberately taunted them.

[tomd2103]

Most reports had the Pro-palestine protestors shouting "Free Palestine" and I suppose mention of the genocide. And an eyewitness from here mentioned some Villa fans shouting at them because of the colour of their skin.

What were the blatently anti-semitic statements you heard?

I heard the "River to the Sea" chant as I walked past them, which as far as I can make out is a call for a genocide from people who are protesting about what they claim is one that is currently happening.  Also, the signs that were up on lamp posts on the way to the ground said something like "Zionists not welcome here".  As it was an Israeli team that we were playing last night, was that suggesting that all Israelis are Zionists and isn't that a kind of generalisation and stereotyping (ie. they are from Israel, so automatically Zionists and aren't welcome here)?

[waynejames]

Tousi TV first called it a Jew cage on his live stream and the saying stuck like that stuff you get from screwfix straight away with the other 'news' outlets

[The Edge]

@Mods: Any chance we can close this thread for good because I for one have had enough of this shit. Let's get back to something we're good at. Arguing over the Villa.

[Somniloquism]

It does look cage like if they were in the sports court.

I've watched away games more cage like. The Old Dell, top corner of the side terrace at Maine Road.

You might have, but just pointing out that the MUGA, especially with the fence-top turned in to catch the ball is very cage like. So if they were telling the protestors to stand in that, the optics weren't great compared to the rest of the park.

[AV82EC]

@Mods: Any chance we can close this thread for good because I for one have had enough of this shit. Let's get back to something we're good at. Arguing over the Villa.

Seconded, It can go back to its own part of the forum in off Topic on the Israel/Palestine thread. We just seem to be giving volume to Internet warriors and YouTube freaks.

[amfy]

Most reports had the Pro-palestine protestors shouting "Free Palestine" and I suppose mention of the genocide. And an eyewitness from here mentioned some Villa fans shouting at them because of the colour of their skin.

What were the blatently anti-semitic statements you heard?

I heard the "River to the Sea" chant as I walked past them, which as far as I can make out is a call for a genocide from people who are protesting about what they claim is one that is currently happening.  Also, the signs that were up on lamp posts on the way to the ground said something like "Zionists not welcome here".  As it was an Israeli team that we were playing last night, was that suggesting that all Israelis are Zionists and isn't that a kind of generalisation and stereotyping (ie. they are from Israel, so automatically Zionists and aren't welcome here)?

That's quite a difficult one. I would have read it as specifically meaning 'Zionists' as opposed to Israelis or Jews in general, but I can definitely see that in this context, when they have been put up specifically for the arrival of a football team rather than 'Zionist's' that your interpretation has some weight and not what I want to see either.