Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Ukrainian Military Equipment in Belgium

Pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Belgian defense facility and vandalized military vehicles that were reportedly being prepared for shipment to Ukraine.

The incident occurred on the morning of June 23, when about 150 masked activists from the “Stop arming Israel” movement entered the premises of the OIP defense company in Tournai, according to Belgian outlet 7sur7.be.

Freddy Versluys, CEO of OIP, said the group had used angle grinders and hammers to destroy office equipment and military hardware.
“They searched our offices, destroyed computers, and then went into the workshops, where they seriously damaged several machines. They went wild with spray paint and hammers,” Versluys said.

Although the activists claimed the raid had been aimed at halting arms shipments to Israel, the equipment damaged was intended for Ukraine.

The company estimates the damage at around €1 million and says the incident will delay its next arms delivery by at least a month.

“The next delivery is now delayed by at least a month. This is all these Hamas sympathizers will achieve with their actions,” the CEO said.

Footage from the facility after the incident showed two Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and several Italian M113 tracked armored personnel carriers — types of equipment widely supplied to Ukraine’s armed forces.

OIP specializes in the maintenance, repair and modernization of military hardware. The company has long acquired retired European military equipment and, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, has sent over a hundred units to Ukraine.

The group targeted OIP due to its affiliation with Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems. However, Versluys emphasized that the Belgian company operated independently and had not produced systems for Israel in over two decades.

This follows an incident in Germany where individuals believed to be linked to Russia set fire to at least six Bundeswehr trucks at a private defense facility, describing it as sabotage against Ukraine.