Keir Starmer under pressure to stop anti-Israel event at Labour conference
SIR Keir Starmer is under pressure to stop an anti-Israel event being held at his party conference this week.
The event, hosted by Labour Friends of Palestine, is called: What a Labour government should mean for Palestinians’ rights.
It comes after Palestinian terrorists launched a full-on invasion of Israel - murdering innocent civilians in their beds.
A description of the event in the official conference programme said: “Israel’s far-right government is driving a worsening health and human rights crisis for Palestinians by expanding settlements, deepening annexation and enabling pervasive settler and military violence.”
Nickie Aiken, Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party, said the event was “deeply concerning” and Labour should cancel it.
Sir Keir was also urged to tell his MPs to cut ties with a left-wing group whose coordinator praised the invasion.
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Pawel Wargan, coordinator of Progressive International’s secretariat, wrote on X: “All eyes on Palestine in its heroic moment of resistance against the Zionist occupation.”
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and left-winger Zarah Sultana both sit on the body’s council.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now an independent MP, is also on the council.
Lord John Mann, ex-Labour MP and now an independent adviser to the government on Antisemitism, said: “If I was them I would step away from it. They don’t want to be associated with that kind of commentary I would hope.”
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Mike Katz, national chair of Jewish Labour, said: “Let’s be clear: if you’re celebrating the murder of civilians or you aren’t condemning terrorists, there’s nothing progressive about you or your organisation.”
Ms Aiken added: “The violence in Israel is horrific and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“The association of Labour MPs with these comments, and the hosting of this events at Labour conference is deeply concerning.
“The Labour Party should immediately review their relationship with these organisations, and cancel the event.”
Former No10 adviser Gabriel Milland, added: “Corbyn, McDonnell and Sultana all sit on the ‘council’ of the organisation that this guy runs. Labour should obviously proscribe it.”
Sources stressed that Pawel is not the leader of the organisation and that he was tweeting in a personal capacity.
A Labour party spokesperson said: “We condemn the acts of terror committed against Israel. There can be no justification for them. Labour has no relationship with this group.”