Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) said he was "outraged and ashamed" after security concerns forced the cancellation of a visit by European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius to military manufacturing sites in Wallonia on Friday.
The European Commission stated that local authorities could not guarantee the safety of the EU official, who was scheduled to visit Thales Belgium and FN Herstal in the Liège region alongside Walloon Minister-President Adrien Dolimont (MR).
The high-profile visit was called off due to the presence of pro-Palestinian activists protesting on the premises. Human rights organisations and activists are currently questioning the effectiveness of Wallonia's ban on the transit of military equipment to Israel.
"How could this have happened? A thorough investigation is needed. I have just contacted my colleague, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR), about this," Francken wrote on social media, adding, "we must put an end to this far-left terror".
However, the office of Herstal Mayor Frédéric Daerden (PS) defended the last-minute cancellation as a "wise" decision to prevent a risk to public order.
According to local authorities, they were only informed of the visit on Wednesday evening, making it difficult to deploy adequate security measures within 24 hours as more activists arrived.
"We could have received about eight federal police officers as reinforcements, but that would have been insufficient given the activists' specific profile," Daerden’s office stated, noting that Thales management ultimately recommended calling off the event.
Following the disruption, the European Commission rescheduled its meetings with the defence companies in Brussels later on Friday.
