Three men prosecuted for taking part in a peaceful protest at arms manufacturer General Dynamics were found not guilty of all charges at Brighton Law Courts on Wednesday 22 January. Laurie Holden, 72, Clem McCulloch, 33, and Thomas Delves, 25 – collectively known as the #Hastings3 – were arrested for aggravated trespass on 29 February 2024 during an early morning protest at one of the firm’s two sites in Hastings, East Sussex.
The #Hastings3: doing the right thing
The three told the court that they were at General Dynamics on that day to disrupt the business of the weapons manufacturers and to slow production down.
Illustrator Thomas Delves, 25, said:
I believed it was the right thing to do to stop the weapons factory in any way I could because it was supplying weapons to a genocide in Gaza.
I thought my actions would have a somewhat immediate impact as the promise of the weapons gave confidence to the Israeli government to continue.
He said he had decided to sit in front of one of their entrances as it was both “peaceful but still effective”.
Retired train driver Laurie Holden said:
There was a genocide going on, the ultimate crime against humanity and General Dynamics was playing a major role in that crime, making a lot of weapons, like 2,000 lb bombs. I know people in Gaza who were being affected by it.
The two were arrested for aggravated trespass but as they were being forcibly removed from the protest, McCulloch said he got upset and decided to stand in their place:
I believed it was the right thing to do. I knew General Dynamics manufactured arms and related equipment which were used not just during the genocide but in the years previously, providing ordinance and equipment to the IDF to be used in Palestine.
All three were physically dragged from the protest and held in a cell for 13 hours before being charged under a Section 69 order of failing to comply with an order from the police to move off land when directed to do so.
A sham trial if ever there was one
The court heard evidence for the prosecution from the two arresting officers PC’s Freeman and Johnson as well as General Dynamics’ UK Head of Security Mr Hoffman, who gave his evidence behind a screen claiming he feared repercussions if the defendants saw his face.
Protest police liaison officer PC Freeman said he had worked alongside the protest organisers for a number of months and confirmed that all the actions were peaceful.
He added that on the day “it was a very peaceful protest and my only concern was the fire exit”.
In court, body cam footage worn by PC Freeman showed him asking Delves and Holden to move out of the way of the door, to which Holden replied:
We’re more concerned with the weapons that are being made in this building. Stopping a genocide is far more important. We want to stop genocide, that’s why we’re here.
Later in court, when asked if he would have got out of the way if there was a fire in the building, Mr Delves said:
Of course. The idea was to get people out of the building!
The court heard on PC Freeman’s body cam footage that when a female protestor asked if she could stay on site, PC Freeman confirmed that she could and they were only interested in clearing the fire exits.
Defence counsel moved to have the case dismissed on the grounds of no case to answer since the three men were simply instructed to move away from an exit they were blocking and not given clear direction to ‘leave the land’.
“There must be some degree of formality other than just ‘get out of the way’” argued Sergent.
Not guilty
After hearing all the evidence in the case, district judge Amanda Kelly concluded:
It seems to be agreed that there was no clear order given to the men of what they were being told to do or where to go.
She found all three not guilty.
“This is a total vindication of the #Hastings3” said Katy Colley, chair of the Hastings and District Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the protest:
It was outrageous that our friends were put through this ordeal for nearly a year, dragged through a criminal court case at a huge cost to the taxpayer. And for what? To protect Genocide Dynamics, which has been supplying weapons to a state which is in the dock for genocide.
Our friends our heroes. They put their bodies on the line to try to stop a genocide. They did what they could to prevent the senseless slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinians. General Dynamics are the criminals. It was telling that while our friends held their heads high and spoke openly of their motives, the head of security was hiding behind a screen. Perhaps he is ashamed of defending merchants of death.
This whole case should never have happened. The justice system is being abused to criminalise peaceful protest, wasting precious court time and taxpayer money to defend a company that makes billions in profits every year from death and destruction.
General Dynamics without remorse – so the #Hastings3 will continue
General Dynamics is the world’s fifth largest arms company. It made all the MK80 bombs that were dropped on Gaza over 15 months, resulting in over 47,000 confirmed deaths and massive destruction to homes and civilian infrastructure.
The company, which has two sites in Hastings, has been the target of 14 local protests since Israel’s assault on the besieged enclave began which, in a statement submitted to court in June, General Dynamics admitted had “significantly disrupted operations” onsite.
It read:
The frequency and presence of unauthorized individuals on our sites, in combination with flags/placards referencing ‘Genocide Dynamics’ as opposed to ‘General Dynamics’ has likely damaged our business’s reputation. If this negative perception continues this could result in a decline in patronage and a loss of trust within the community.
The statement went on:
These ongoing incidents of trespassing have significantly disrupted our operations and had a detrimental impact on our business, employees and third parties in a number of ways.
Trespassers have frequently interrupted our business operations. This includes interference with daily activities, delays in service delivery, and the necessity to temporarily close sections of our premises for security reasons. Such disruptions are likely to have led to a decrease in productivity as staff have had to adjust their locations and hours of work in response.
Speaking outside court after the verdict Laurie Holden pledged to continue the campaign to stop General Dynamics supplying military equipment to Israel and appealed for people to join him at the next protest at the General Dynamics site at 10am on Friday 24 January, followed by a protest rally against General Dynamics in Hastings Town Centre on Saturday 1 February at 12pm.
Featured image and additional images supplied
