Charleroi, October 11 2025
Despite heavy police deployment in all of Belgium and 100 arrests, 400 activists from Code Rouge, Stop Arming Israel, and Soulèvements de la Terre BXL entered and blocked Industeel in Charleroi, from the ArcelorMittal group. Its management supplied steel to the Israeli ministry of Defense and related companies. The action's objective: disrupt supply chains between Belgium and Israel to demand a complete economic embargo on Israel, to stop Belgian complicity in the genocide in Gaza.
At 9:30 this morning, several groups of activists converged on Industeel's factory in Charleroi to paralyze its economic activity. The entrances were blocked and a group of activists entered the site. According to the organisers, steel workers' know-how should serve the common good rather than genocide. However, Industeel's management (Arcelor Mittal group) supplied 50 tons of dual use steel to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which arrived in Ashdod on April 11, 2025. 25 additional tons were sent to a private Israeli company which makes equipment to clear rubble in Gaza. The steel was placed on a ship destined for Antwerp via a canal, then shipped to Israel.
"Management is firing workers and selling materials to a genocidal army for the same reason: maximizing profit." Flyers were distributed to workers on the site to inform them of their management's complicity and invite them to mobilize in the event of further shipments to Israel.
Hundreds of policemen were deployed to prevent this civil disobedience action. 100 people were arrested. Despite police intervention, the site was blocked. The situation is calm.
"Stopping the impunity and cutting the supply chains of the Israeli army is urgent. It's a moral duty. By maintaining its trade relations, supplying transit infrastructure, and authorizing the production and shipments of components and raw materials, Belgium is complicit in the genocide and the colonization of Palestine", said Sacha, a member of the Belgian coalition.
The ceasefire announced in Gaza is a relief for the Palestinian population, which has suffered through two years of extreme violence. But it does not spell the end of colonization or Israeli policies which violate international law in Gaza and the West Bank. In this context, the sanctions decided by Belgium and the European Union remain largely symbolic, while the EU remains Israel's first trading partner, with Belgium as a strategic node.
Thus, even if the arms embargo announced by the Belgian government was effectively applied, Belgium would continue to supply crucial support to Israel. The port of Antwerp and the airport of Liège Bierset enable the transit of military equipment, fuel and components used by the Israeli military. In addition to its logistical role, Belgium is home to several companies that make and supply materials and strategic components to the Israeli military complex.
Yesterday, NGOs were informed of shipments from Liège to Israel of components for Elbit Systems drones. Thanks to their judicial complaint, Belgian customs blocked the cargo. This shows how crucial citizens' actions remain.
"As we witness our government's complicity, we take action to apply an effective economic and military embargo to demand concrete measures to stop the impunity and defend the rights of the Palestinian people. In doing so, we join the struggles of workers in logistics and other sectors in Italy, Belgium, Spain, France, Morocco and Tunisia. They have already shown their resistance by refusing to handle shipments to Israel. We call on unions and workers of all sectors to follow their example."
This action is part of a European week-end of actions against the Logistics Empire. Actions are taking place in the Netherlands, with Geef Tegengas in the port de Rotterdam, in France (les Soulèvements de la Terre against the Seine-Nord Europe canal), and in Germany (Disrupt Germany).
Press contact:
- via Signal (Identifier: sle.50)
- stoplogisticcomplicity@riseup.net