The East End has lost of one its brightest flames. Max Levitas has died at the age of 103, after a long life of community service and activism. ***

One of the last survivors of the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, Max was elected as a Stepney councillor in 1945 and served until the 1960s. He fought against slum landlords, rogue employers, indeed anyone who tried to exploit his beloved community. He remained a fighter all his life. In the 2000s, Max was at the forefront of the counter-demonstrations against the English Defence League in the East End. Even as he turned 100, he was campaigning with me to stop the council unfairly charging leaseholders.

As the East End changed around him, Max remained a constant reminder of our shared radical past. He loved the traditions and the history of the East End. We will miss him.