Key Points:
- Ben Soffa, organizer of the Armistice Day anti-Israel march, worked for Sir Keir Starmer until recently.
- Soffa is the Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and has been leading the marches in London.
- Sir Keir had warned Labour MPs not to attend these events.
- Soffa was also the Labour Party's Head of Digital Organizing until just days ago.
- The PSC has been organizing marches against Israel's response to the October 7 attacks.
- Home Secretary Suella Braverman has labeled these marches as "hate marches" due to terror arrests and antisemitic chanting.
- Labour frontbencher Imran Hussain quit the party over Sir Keir's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
- Rishi Sunak criticized the pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day as "disrespectful," but confirmed it will go ahead.
- The Prime Minister met with the Metropolitan Police chief to discuss concerns and crowd control for the demonstration.
- The Home Office can only ban a march if there is a serious risk of violence.
The organizer of the upcoming Armistice Day anti-Israel march in London has been revealed as a former employee of Sir Keir Starmer. Ben Soffa, who currently serves as the Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), has been leading the marches for the past four weeks. Soffa's involvement with the PSC dates back to 2013, where he is listed as a director. However, until recently, Soffa was also the Labour Party's Head of Digital Organizing, earning a salary of £61,000. Sir Keir had previously warned Labour MPs against attending these events.
The PSC has been organizing marches across the country to protest Israel's response to the October 7 attacks. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has condemned these marches as "hate marches" due to the number of terror arrests and instances of antisemitic chanting. The police have reported making 188 arrests linked to hate crimes or protests in London since the October 7 attack. One branch of the PSC even celebrated the Hamas terrorists' actions on the day they killed 1,400 Jews, calling it a "heroic move" by "freedom fighters." The National PSC later denounced this support for Palestinian resistance as "unacceptable."
In addition to the controversy surrounding the march, a Labour frontbencher, Imran Hussain, has left the party due to Sir Keir's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Hussain expressed deep concern over the opposition leader's stance. A Labour source thanked Soffa for his work with the party and wished him well in the future.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak criticized the pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day as "disrespectful." However, he confirmed that the march will still go ahead after meeting with the Metropolitan Police chief. The Prime Minister also discussed concerns and crowd control for the demonstration during the meeting. The Home Office can only ban a march if the police advise that there is a serious risk of violence.
