Hastings council Labour group goes rogue, demands Starmer ‘Stop arming Israel’

A local Labour Party group in Hastings has seemingly deviated somewhat from the government’s official position – by supporting a letter that calls for a full arms embargo on Israel. However, it is still shy of what local campaigners have been demanding: a full council motion on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Hastings council demands an arms embargo on Israel now

The Green Party leader of Hastings Council, Julia Hilton, opened the full council meeting on Wednesday 20 November by reading out a letter to the prime minister demanding decisive action to stop arming Israel and uphold international law.

The letter, which was supported by the Green and Labour groups on Hastings Council, as well as the Labour Mayor, came after a week of sustained pressure, including a protest by the Hastings and District Palestine Solidarity Campaign outside the council meeting, because a motion on Gaza had been blocked from the agenda for the fourth time in a year by council officials and the mayor.

The grounds given for the motion being blocked were that it ‘wasn’t relevant to the local community’.

This action came off the back of other ones from PSC. For example, the group campaigned with signage along one of the main roads in Hastings. The stunt drew drivers’ attention to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza:

👀 Spotted today in Hastings, East Sussex, UK.#StopTheGenocide #SaveGazaChildren pic.twitter.com/epTH5sZMg2

— Hastings and District PSC (@HRyepsc) November 9, 2024

The group also dressed in hazmat suits and took the campaign around Israel’s crimes to a local shopping centre:

As people went about their Christmas shopping we drew attention to the obscenity of Israel's attacks on civilian life which include the kidnap, torture and rape in prisons where over 60 Palestinians have been killed in the last year.#EndIsraeliApartheid #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/w5wjrvIwjZ

— Hastings and District PSC (@HRyepsc) November 18, 2024

As people went about their Christmas shopping, we drew attention to the detainment, abuse and torture of Palestinians.
We cannot allow Israeli impunity to continue unchecked.
Boycott Israeli goods and products, and complicit companies like Barclays, which profit from genocide. pic.twitter.com/jd2nmdg9lZ

— Hastings and District PSC (@HRyepsc) November 16, 2024

So, after the PSC pressure the Labour group’s position seemed to shift.

The letter called on prime minister Keir Starmer to “advocate for a multilateral ceasefire to halt the bloodshed and establish a foundation for lasting peace in the region” and to “cease arms exports to any party involved in the conflict and prioritise humanitarian assistance to alleviate suffering”.

It also urged Starmer to uphold International Law by making use of “all diplomatic and legal measures to ensure accountability for violations of international law and to defend the principles of justice”.

End the injustice and genocide

Hastings council leader Julia Hilton read:

Our connection to the region is profound. For over three years, Hastings has nurtured a friendship link with the community of Al-Mawasi in Gaza. This relationship has facilitated cultural exchange and provided much-needed humanitarian aid. In the wake of the recent bombings, our commitment to Al-Mawasi has only deepened, as we strive to support our friends in their time of need.

She concluded:

Britain must stand firmly on the side of humanity, justice, and peace, offering hope to the people of Gaza and beyond. Let our community in Hastings inspire the nation to build bridges, not walls, and to seek unity where there is division.

It was anticipated that the letter, initiated by the Greens, would be signed by the leaders of all the groups on Hastings council, but at the time of writing it had only gained support from the Labour group.

Laurie Holden, secretary of the Hastings and District PSC said:

We have been urging our political leaders to give voice to the strong feelings in our town ever since Israel began its genocidal campaign in Gaza over 13 months ago, so we wholeheartedly welcome this letter from the Council leader and the local Labour group, urging our government to stop arming Israel and acknowledging the deep and unique bonds between our town and the people of Al Mawasi.

Though it is no substitute for the democratic process of discussing and voting on a motion to establish an official council position, it does mean that we heard the Labour group in Hastings finally urging an end to arms sales to Israel and we hope that we will now see our local Labour MP Helena Dollimore do the same and use her influence in government to push for a full UK arms embargo on Israel.

We are watching a people being exterminated in front of our eyes with weapons and technology we are exporting – some even made here in Hastings at the General Dynamic arms factory. We will keep up the pressure to ensure our local representatives take a public and decisive stand against genocide, against apartheid and for the rights and dignity of Palestinians.

Featured image via the Canary