Israel Matzav

'Activists' arrested in Belgium for impersonating El Al stewardesses

Six 'activists' were arrested at a trade show in Belgium this week after they impersonated El Al stewardesses and handed out materials claiming that El Al transports weapons for the IDF (note - that's a REAL stewardess in the picture and NOT an 'activist').

Six activists were arrested at a tourism expo in Brussels, Belgium on Monday, after they impersonated El Al stewardesses and handed out pamphlets smearing the Israeli airline.

The activists’ uniforms were exact down to the Hebrew name tags, and a number of expo attendees were reportedly fooled by the ruse.

The activists, who police say are members of an anti-war group called “Peace Action,” offered passers-by “vouchers” for a free flight to Israel and invited them to head over to the El Al and Israel Tourism Ministry booths for their free flight.

The “vouchers” were actually pamphlets written in Flemish, detailing what the group claimed was El Al’s role in transporting weapons for the Israel Defense Forces.

Security guards at the event contacted police, who held the activists for questioning for several hours before releasing them. The activists could face charges of disturbing the peace. An El Al spokesperson said the company did not know where the activists obtained the uniforms, or whether they were homemade.

Well, I sure hope no one has stolen El Al uniforms. I can think of a lot of bad things for which they could be used.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:22 AM