Hastings Gaza Protesters Arrested
KENT BARKER
A childminder has been arrested for alleged criminal damage with a rock after writing in chalk on the road during a protest, while a St Leonards man is waiting to hear if he will be charged under the terrorism act after his arrest at a London demonstration.
Gabriel Carlyle Arrested
46-year-old Grace Lally spent seven hours in police custody following her detention outside the General Dynamics arms factory in Hastings before being released on police bail pending further investigation. The protest was organised by the Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign who said Ms Lally was in the process of writing ‘Stop Arms to Israel’ and ‘Stop Genocide’ in chalk on the ground outside the factory.
In a separate incident, 51-year-old Gabriel Carlyle was among 29 people arrested at a demonstration in Parliament Square. They were protesting against the government’s decision to outlaw Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. He is currently on bail waiting to hear if he will be charged with a terrorism offence. Mr Carlyle was carrying a sign ‘referencing’ Palestine Action. It also contained the words ‘I support nonviolence’ and ‘I oppose genocide’. Amnesty International has condemned the Government’s decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terror laws, as an ‘unprecedented legal overreach.’ The vote in parliament was supported by Hastings MP Helena Dollimore.
There have been dozens of protests outside the main site of the arms manufacturer’s factory in Castleham Road, St Leonards. Ms Lally was told by police that General Dynamics might need to “retarmac the road” because of her actions. Earlier this year, as HIP reported, three protesters were acquitted after being arrested in a previous demonstration at General Dynamics. The ‘Hastings Three’, as they became known, were found not guilty of aggravated trespass after a peaceful sit-down protest in 2024.
As we went to press, Hastings Borough Council was due to debate a call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire to stop the catastrophic loss of life in Gaza and the West Bank and the return of all hostages. And to urge the UK government to: Immediately cease all arms sales and military support to Israel.” A previous council meeting was abandoned in March last year after protests that a Green Party motion on Gaza would not be debated. Following local council elections that summer, the Green Party now runs the council through a minority administration. HBC owns the site of the General Dynamics factory and is under pressure to revoke the lease on the grounds that the company is involved in ‘illegal or immoral’ activities.
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