‘Ethical Bailiffs’ serve eviction notice on Hastings arms factory over Gaza genocide

A group of bailiffs from ‘Ethical Evictions’ served up a people-powered eviction notice on General Dynamics in Hastings last week, stating the arms company was in breach of the terms of its lease. Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign (HDPSC)’s Katy Weitz explains more.

General Dynamics, dubbed ‘Genocide Dynamics’ by campaigners, has two sites in Hastings, leasing its factory on Castleham Road from Hastings Borough Council.

But under the terms of the lease, the council can revoke it if the company is involved in ‘illegal or immoral’ activities.

HDPSC raised this issue with the council in February, when it discovered the arms company was operating on council land.

Councillor Julia Hillton, then Council Leader, responded by claiming that the terms of the lease were subject to ‘commercial confidentiality’ and that she had received legal advice that there were no grounds for action because General Dynamics is manufacturing components which are ‘permitted use within the law’.

On 6 May HDPSC demanded the publication of this advice, but so far this demand has not been met.

Ethical Bailiffs

In the meantime, General Dynamics on Castleham Road received an early morning visit by the ‘Ethical Bailiffs’ and their supporters last Thursday.

The ‘bailiffs’ came armed with a giant Eviction Notice, stating that the company had 24 hours to quit the premises in consideration of the illegal/immoral acts they carried out including:

‘…the production of components for use in the manufacture elsewhere of aircraft and missiles used by the Israeli Government in the destruction of Gaza and the murder of its Palestinian Residents.’

The notice also stated: ‘The Human Rights Council of the UN has called for all countries, “to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel” and that a number of listed companies, including General Dynamics, are, by sending, “weapons, parts, components, and ammunition at risk of being complicit in serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian laws.”’

The notice went on: ‘The International Court of Justice has found that Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza constitute a plausible genocide. The ongoing leasing of premises to General Dynamics makes Hastings and its citizens complicit in providing the means to commit a genocide, the most heinous crime imaginable.’

It was signed by ‘The people of Hastings who don’t want to be made complicit in Israel’s policy of genocide’ and, after surrounding the premises with red and white cordon tape, the bailiffs attempted to serve the notice on the company management.’

‘We’ll be back!’

However, despite carrying a (foam) battering ram, they were met with a wall of resistance formed of three private security guards and the police, who stopped them approaching the entrance to the factory.

Undeterred, the bailiffs marched around to the back entrance of the building, where the three security guards quickly ran around to meet them, shouting for the bailiffs to ‘leave’ as they were on ‘private property’.

However, the bailiffs – demonstrating the kind of steely determination for which their profession has become known – marched to the front entrance once more, where they were finally able to reach the front door.

But despite repeated appeals to the management inside to meet them and receive the notice, not a single representative from General Dynamics came out of the building.

‘This is just the sort of cowardly behaviour we have come to expect from General Dynamics’ management,’ said Laurie Holden from HDPSC.

Mr Holden was one of three anti-genocide protestors prosecuted for peacefully protesting General Dynamics in February 2024. All three were found not guilty of aggravated trespass during a trial in which General Dynamics’ head of security chose to give evidence behind a screen.

He said: ‘They hide behind screens to give evidence when they drag us through the courts and they hide behind shouty security guards instead of coming out and meeting us face to face.

‘Is it because their company’s actions are morally and legally indefensible?

‘General Dynamics supplies the arms, the ordnance, the technology and components to keep this genocide going.

‘And after 19 months of watching Israel murder, starve, bury and shred thousands of innocent men, women and children, the people of Hastings have had enough. We don’t want these baby killers in our town, profiting from the industrial-scale slaughter of Palestinians. We’ve had enough. We say it is time to evict General Dynamics – if you agree please sign our petition.’

A representative from Ethical Evictions said: ‘Our bailiffs were professional, persistent and prepared for this kind of behaviour. We are used to dealing with evasive, unethical criminals and we are not in the least put off. That was their first warning. We’ll be back!’

Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign 

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