During a press conference regarding the filing of a lawsuit against OIP Sensor Systems, in front of the Palais de Justice in Tournai (Belgium), September 23, 2025. SHUTTERSTOCK/SIPA
There were far more people than usual on Tuesday, February 17, in courtroom number one at the Court of First Instance in Oudenaarde, a small town in Belgium's East Flanders province. Around 50 people, many wearing keffiyehs, crowded together on the benches, straining to follow the proceedings broadcast over an aging sound system. On the steps of the courthouse, about 200 protesters waving Palestinian flags had also come to support seven of their friends who were on trial for causing damage to the arms company OIP Sensor Systems on March 4, 2024.
This Belgian company, founded in 1919 and later owned by the Dutch firm Delft Instruments, was acquired in 2003 by the Israeli company Elbit Systems, the world's 21st largest arms manufacturer. Its Belgian subsidiary, which produces fire control guidance systems, night vision devices and infrared cameras, is demanding €65,000 from seven young activists who took part in an occupation of its headquarters along with around 60 others, seeking to condemn Elbit's involvement in the war in Gaza. The company sells large quantities of drones and various equipment to the Israeli military for its ground forces.
