Two individuals on Wednesday hurled red paint at Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems’ booth at the 2025 International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland.
The assailants, a man and a woman, could be seen in footage posted online shouting in Polish and waving Palestinian flags. They also released a foul-smelling substance toward the Israeli booth, according to Israel National News.
Security personnel at the venue reportedly detained the duo.
MSPO “is one of Europe’s and the world’s most important events, targeted at defence industry business insiders, military decision-makers, and experts,” and bringing together “leading companies, institutions and delegations from dozens of countries,” according to the exhibition’s website.
The Polish exhibition hosted multiple Israeli security firms, according to the Hebrew-language financial newspaper Calcalist.
Pro-Palestinian protesters doused the Israeli company Elbit's pavilion with red paint at an exhibition in Poland. pic.twitter.com/xFk2v9VN6d
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 3, 2025
This was not the first time the Israeli defense contractor has been targeted by pro-Palestinians.
In 2024, the British Palestine Action organization protested almost daily at Elbit sites, of which there are 16 in the United Kingdom.
The group, which has since been designated as a terrorist organization, carried out its first attack on July 30, 2020, against Elbit Systems U.K.’s headquarters in London.
The vandals covered the building in green paint and graffiti that read: “Shut Elbit down” and “F*** Elbit.” The next morning, four members occupied the offices, The Sunday Times reported at the time.
In April, 2025, a Swedish court sentenced four teenagers for their involvement in an October 2024 shooting attack on the office of Elbit Systems in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden.
No injuries were reported in the shooting, which authorities described as a deliberate attack on an Israeli target. The motive was not specified in the court’s decision.
Earlier this week, a woman splashed red paint on Israeli singer David D’Or during a concert in Warsaw. The assailant went on to shout “Free Palestine.”
The Israeli singer later described the incident via Instagram.
“In the middle of the prayer Avinu Malkeinu, as I was praying for a good year and for peace in the world, I closed my eyes, when suddenly I felt a cold spray on my face. I opened my eyes to see bright red paint, resembling blood—on my clothes, on my face, on the stage, and on the musicians. The song list seemed stained with blood. Between songs like ‘Shema Yisrael’ and ‘Shmor al HaOlam Yeled,’ the red stains brought me back to the horrific sights of October 7,” he wrote, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“In the shocked audience, a murmur of terror and crying began. I realized I had to pull myself together and encourage them. I kept singing and asked everyone to close their eyes and pray for the people of Israel. It wasn’t easy. My eyes were filled with tears of pain and deep sorrow over the situation we’ve reached. By the end of the performance, the audience sang together with me, and we all left strengthened,” D’Or continued.
“The violinist was deeply shaken and thought acid had been thrown on us. What terrible days these are, may God have mercy. I pray for better days. Amen.”
The incident took place on Aug. 31 at the Polish National Opera (Teatr Wielki) complex, situated on the historic Theatre Square in central Warsaw. D’Or was accompanied on stage by Sinfonia Viva, a British orchestra based in Derby, England, and performed as part of the 22nd anniversary of the Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw, also known as “Singer’s Warsaw.”
