Three men prosecuted for taking part in a peaceful protest at arms manufacturer General Dynamics have been acquitted of all charges at Brighton Law Courts. Laurie Holden, 72, Clem McCulloch, 33, and Thomas Delves, 25 – known as the ‘Hastings Three’- were arrested for alleged aggravated trespass on February 29 last year. They were protesting at one of General Dynamics’ two sites in Hastings.

The three told the court that they were there to disrupt the business of the weapons manufacturers and to slow production down. Illustrator Thomas Delves 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.” He described his sit-down protest in front of one entrance as “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 2,000lb bombs.”

The two were arrested for aggravated trespass, but as they were being forcibly removed from the protest, Mr McCulloch said he got upset and decided to stand in their place. “I believed it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I knew General Dynamics manufactured arms and related equipment which were used not just during the genocide but in the years previously, providing ordnance and equipment to the IDF to be used in Palestine.”

After being physically dragged from the protest, they were held in a cell for thirteen 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”.

Protest police liaison officer PC Freeman told the court he had worked alongside the protest organisers for a number of months and confirmed that all the actions were peaceful. He said that on the day “it was a very peaceful protest and my only concern was the fire exit”.

In court, bodycam footage worn by PC Freeman showed him asking Mr Delves and Mr Holden to move out of the way of the door, to which Mr Holden replied: “Stopping a genocide is far more important. We want to stop genocide, that’s why we’re here.”

Defence counsel moved to have the charges 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’.

After hearing 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 Hastings Three,” said Katy Colley, Chair of the Hastings and District Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the protest. “The Three are heroes. They did what they could to prevent the senseless slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinians. General Dynamics are the criminals.”

Further demonstrations against the Hastings arms manufacturer are planned.