Nearly a thousand activists blocked the headquarters Syensqo today in Brussels and held an action at Elbit-OIP in Tournai to denounce the complicity of these Belgian companies in the genocide in Gaza. Activists have been arrested by law enforcement since 10:30 AM. At least 700 activists have been arrested.
Between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, headquarters of the Belgian company Syensqo were blocked by nearly a thousand Stop Arming Israel activists in Brussels. The activists denounced Syensqo's involvement in the genocide in Gaza. The company produces materials used in the manufacture of Hermes 450 drones used by Israel to bomb civilians and humanitarian workers. The building entrances were blocked and the walls covered in red paint.
Another action took place earlier in the day in Tournai: around a hundred activists entered OIP, owned by the Israeli military giant Elbit. So far, 50 activists have been arrested and released. Some politicians and the head of OIP attempted to exploit the Ukrainian conflict to minimize the extent of their involvement in a genocide. Noor, a spokesperson for the action, responded: "OIP is 100% controlled by Elbit, the largest private arms company in Israel. Every euro therefore funds a group deeply involved in the genocide in Gaza and apartheid in the occupied territories. Instead of reacting on Twitter, and companies based in this country, we must respect international law. We can support the Ukrainian people without collaborating in the genocide of the Palestinian people."
Camille, a participant in the action, added: “Today, we took action to stop the business of death of Syensqo and Elbit. The Belgian population supports the imposition of sanctions against Israel, and the Belgian government has recognized that genocide is taking place in Gaza. If politicians refuse to act, we, the citizens, will implement the arms embargo. We hope that other similar actions will be organized in the future. Despite the increase in police repression, mobilized citizens show an impressive energy in solidarity with Palestine to put an end to Israel's crimes and its impunity.”
In Brussels, at least 700 activists were arrested, and none have been released yet. Several hundred were subjected to degrading treatments during the afternoon. Camille, an activist participating in the action, testified: "We were held in the sun for hours, without food, water, or access to toilets. More generally, we are seeing a significant increase in repression against the pro-Palestinian movement in Belgium. The government is putting its energy into suppressing solidarity movements instead of acting to stop a genocide that has already killed more than 60,000 people." In Tournai, around fifty people were recently released.
The day was marked by several actions in solidarity with Palestine. A rally took place in the European quarter, bringing together 1,000 people, accompanying the citizens' march for Gaza to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. At 2:30 PM, a spontaneous rally was organized at the Etterbeek police station to support the arrested activists.
