Taxpayer-funded group hosted talk by notorious anti-Zionist David Miller

During his talk, organised by a local Palestine Solidarity Campaign group, Miller claimed charities in Britain were sending millions of pounds every year to help “colonise” Palestine.

After the event, a former local Labour councillor complained to Hastings Commons saying Miller should not have been allowed to speak at one of its community venues.

Dany Louise asked if the group wanted to align itself “organisations that promote antisemitism” or “take a principled stand against it”.

In response, Hastings Commons’ chief executive, Dr  Jess Steele, said it took the question of “controversial hires… very seriously”. In a statement the group said: “this situation has brought to the forefront the need for a hire policy for people using our spaces… we carefully monitoring all of our hire bookings”.

Miller was sacked following an investigation into his claim Bristol University’s Jewish students were being used “as political pawns by a violent, racist foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing”. A university disciplinary hearing found he did not meet the standards of behaviour it expects from its staff. Miller, who has raised thousands of pounds for a legal fund to try to get his job back, has strenuously denied he is antisemitic and refused to be drawn on his appearance in Hastings.