Belgium police arrest Palestinian, seize ‘Free Palestine’ motorhome

• Palestinian-Norwegian activist Omar Almaani, 37, was arrested in Antwerp after police stopped his Gaza-themed “Free Palestine” motorhome.
• Almaani said he was following his GPS and did not know he was driving through a Jewish neighborhood.
• He was held for 15 hours, while police confiscated his phone and motorhome, which serves as his home during his travels.

A Palestinian-Norwegian activist has accused Belgian police of targeting him for his pro-Palestinian activism after he was arrested in Antwerp and had his motorhome confiscated while travelling through a Jewish neighborhood in the city.

Omar Almaani, 37, was detained for 15 hours after police stopped his motorhome, which is decorated with “Free Palestine” stickers and figures documenting the death and injury toll in Gaza, according to Belgian newspaper De Standaard on Monday.

Almaani has been travelling across Europe in the vehicle since August, seeking to draw attention to the ongoing situation in Gaza. He told the newspaper that he lost his youngest brother and dozens of other family members in the Gaza Strip.

“After three years of war, I noticed that people were beginning to become accustomed to the news coming out of Gaza,” he said. “With my motorhome, I want to bring what appears in the news into the streets. These are not just numbers, but human lives.”

The arrest took place after Almaani dropped off a cousin near Antwerp Central Station at around 2 a.m. and continued towards Wilrijk to drop off another relative. He said police stopped him on Belgiëlei and questioned why he was driving through the city's Jewish neighborhood with “Free Palestine” displayed on his vehicle.

“I replied that we were simply following the GPS and did not know we were in that neighborhood,” he said.

Almaani said officers initially requested his vehicle documents and identification papers before taking him to a police station in Berchem, where he and his passengers were informed they were under arrest.

“I still thought it was just a routine check, until suddenly my belongings were being put into bags,” he said, adding that he had previously been stopped by police during his travels through Eastern Europe without encountering any problems.

He was released after 15 hours, but police retained his phone and motorhome, confiscating the vehicle under administrative powers. Almaani said he was left without accommodation or his belongings, as the motorhome serves as his home while travelling.

He was allowed to retrieve a few clothes under police supervision. Describing the search of his vehicle, he said it had been left in disarray.

“I asked the officers what the difference was between them and ‘Israel’, since they were also taking my home away from me,” he said. According to Almaani, officers told him he would eventually get the motorhome back.

Antwerp police confirmed the administrative confiscation, saying the vehicle had repeatedly driven through the Jewish neighborhood.

“Expressing a political opinion is obviously not prohibited, but freedom of expression does not mean that every type of conduct is permitted everywhere and under all circumstances,” police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told De Standaard.

“When someone deliberately and provocatively drives through a particular neighborhood, creating a real risk of tensions, confrontations or a disturbance of public order, the police can intervene,” she added.

The confiscation can remain in place for up to six months, with the decision on the vehicle's future now resting with the administrative authorities.

Almaani said he never expected to face such treatment in Belgium, describing the country as a democracy where freedom of expression should be protected.

“Driving a motorhome through a particular neighborhood does not make me a criminal,” he said.

Read more: London police arrest man over campaign posters featuring armed 'Israeli' settler