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The Sun
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Reckless pro-Palestine protesters break into warehouse and damage nearly £1m of military equipment destined for UKRAINE
A SWARM of pro-Palestinian protesters caused nearly £1million worth of damage to military equipment which had been earmarked for Ukraine. Some 150 dim-witted activists wielding hammers and spray paint went on a warehouse rampage - reportedly causing severe damage to several tanks. 4 4 4 They raided hangars and smashed up computers at the facility in Belgium owned by OIP Land Systems - who produce military equipment for Ukraine. But the idiotic protesters, dressed in white overalls and masks, wrongly believed that the equipment was being shipped to Israel, 7sur7 reported. Taking part in the Stop Arming Israel campaign, they first broke into and ransacked the warehouse's offices in Tournai. The dopey demonstrators then headed for the storage units before vandalising the facility and the critical equipment inside it. They brought along disc cutters and hammers during the frenzy on Monday which "severely damaged some vehicles", the firm's CEO Freddy Verslyus said. He branded the group of vandals "Hamas sympathisers". The next shipment of military aid which - was reserved specifically to help Volodymyr Zelensky fend off Russia's meatgrinder invasion - has now been delayed. OIP Land Systems specialises in the maintenance, repair, and modernisation of military vehicles. Since the Vladimir Putin's bloody invasion, the company has already delivered around 260 armoured vehicles to the Ukrainian army. Versluys said: "The next delivery is now delayed by at least a month. Vladimir Putin rages 'all of Ukraine is ours' as he threatens to seize key city while Kyiv slams tyrant as 'deranged' "That's all these Hamas sympathisers will have achieved with their actions." The fuming CEO also announced his intention to file a complaint against unknown parties following the huge £1million damage bill. The military company was reportedly targeted by the protesters because it is owned by Israeli defence company Elbit Systems. The activists reportedly believe that Elbit supplies 85 per cent of the Israel Defence Force's drones, and most of their ground military equipment. But the raging protesters were left mortified after the firm's CEO claimed that his company had not produced defence systems for Israel in over 20 years. At least 30 people were arrested following the embarrassing raid, Stop Arming Israel said. Tournai police arrived to the scene supported by Borinage cops who also came with riot control vehicles. A helicopter was also scrambled during the mindless rampage. Some activists fled to neighbouring villages in order to escape, before being chased down by cops. OIP Land Systems has provided defence products to Ukraine on several occasions. The military equipment provided includes Leopard 1 tanks, which are manufactured at the Tournai plant. It comes after two pro-Palestine activists broke into an RAF base and vandalised two planes in a "grotesque" breach of security. The men were seen breaking into RAF Brize Norton in a video shared online by group Palestine Action. The UK's defence ministry slammed the "vandalism of Royal Air Force assets" in a scathing statement. 4


The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Reckless pro-Palestine protesters break into warehouse and damage nearly £1m of military equipment destined for UKRAINE
A SWARM of pro-Palestinian protesters caused nearly £1million worth of damage to military equipment which had been earmarked for Ukraine. Some 150 dim-witted activists wielding hammers and spray paint went on a warehouse rampage - reportedly causing severe damage to several tanks. 4 CEO of OIP Land Systems Freddy Versluys said the vandals caused severe damage to the tanks at his warehouse (pictured) Credit: Reuters 4 Pro-Palestine protesters smashed up computers and damaged the facility (stock) Credit: Reuters 4 The firm has provided around 260 armoured vehicles to Ukraine since Putin's invasion Credit: Getty They raided hangars and smashed up computers at the facility in Belgium owned by OIP Land Systems - who produce military equipment for Ukraine. But the idiotic protesters, dressed in white overalls and masks, wrongly believed that the equipment was being shipped to Israel, Taking part in the Stop Arming Israel campaign, they first broke into and ransacked the warehouse's offices in Tournai. The dopey demonstrators then headed for the storage units before vandalising the facility and the critical equipment inside it. READ MORE WORLD NEWS They brought along disc cutters and hammers during the frenzy on Monday which "severely damaged some vehicles", the firm's CEO Freddy Verslyus said. He branded the group of vandals "Hamas sympathisers". The next shipment of military aid which - was reserved specifically to help Volodymyr Zelensky fend off Russia's meatgrinder invasion - has now been delayed. OIP Land Systems specialises in the maintenance, repair, and modernisation of Most read in The US Sun Since the Vladimir Putin's bloody invasion, the company has already delivered around 260 Versluys said: "The next delivery is now delayed by at least a month. Vladimir Putin rages 'all of Ukraine is ours' as he threatens to seize key city while Kyiv slams tyrant as 'deranged' "That's all these Hamas sympathisers will have achieved with their actions." The fuming CEO also announced his intention to file a complaint against unknown parties following the huge £1million damage bill. The military company was reportedly targeted by the protesters because it is owned by Israeli defence company Elbit Systems. The activists reportedly believe that Elbit supplies 85 per cent of the Israel Defence Force's drones, and most of their ground military equipment. But the raging protesters were left mortified after the firm's CEO claimed that his company had not produced defence systems for Israel in over 20 years. At least 30 people were arrested following the embarrassing raid, Stop Arming Israel said. Tournai police arrived to the scene supported by Borinage cops who also came with riot control vehicles. A helicopter was also scrambled during the mindless rampage. Some activists fled to neighbouring villages in order to escape, before being chased down by cops. OIP Land Systems has provided defence products to Ukraine on several occasions. The military equipment provided includes It comes after two The men were seen breaking into The UK's defence ministry slammed the "vandalism of 4 Leopard 1 tanks are seen in the hangar in Tournais, Belgium Credit: Reuters


Time of India
19 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Chaos in Belgium: Pro-Palestine activists sabotage military vehicles destined for Ukraine
Pro-Palestinian activists targeted Belgian defense companies, including OIP in Tournai, causing significant damage to military equipment intended for Ukraine. The activists, numbering around 100, broke into OIP, vandalizing property and delaying crucial deliveries. OIP's CEO stated that the company hasn't supplied Israel with weapons in over 20 years and condemned the actions as vandalism. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Protesters came prepared and caused damage OIP's role and reaction to the attack Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs In Tournai, a city in Belgium, some pro-Palestinian activists broke into a defense company called OIP and damaged military equipment that was supposed to go to Ukraine. They also targeted two Belgian companies — OIP in Tournai and Syensqo in Haren — because they accused these companies of helping Israel's military in Gaza, as per many protests were about Israel, the biggest damage happened in Tournai, where the equipment for Ukraine was seriously damaged. On June 23, around 100 masked activists entered the OIP company grounds. OIP is the Belgian branch of the Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems, according to the report by The New Voice Of CEO of OIP, Freddy Versluys, said the protesters came prepared with angle grinders and hammers. The group started by smashing desks and computers, then they heavily damaged several military of this damage, OIP will now delay the delivery of important equipment to Ukraine by at least one month. The financial damage is nearly 1 million euros, and the company has already filed an official complaint. Versluys also noticed that about 80% of the protesters were women, which can be clearly seen in the video by how they behaved and used the hammers, as stated by The New Voice Of Ukraine mainly works on repairing, maintaining, and upgrading military equipment. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, OIP has supplied around 260 armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army. The CEO said that OIP hasn't made any weapons or defense tools for Israel in more than 20 years. He also said the company isn't allowed to send any equipment to Israel. He called the protesters vandals who used the Palestinian cause as an excuse to commit June 20, a group of pro-Palestinian activists entered a Royal Air Force base in the UK. They sprayed red paint on two military planes and said they broke other equipment and made the planes stop working, according to The New Voice of broke into two Belgian defense companies and damaged military equipment, especially at OIP in in Tournai and Syensqo in Haren were the two companies attacked.