MEP Faces Investigation Over Alleged Flag Incident at October 7 Commemoration

A far-left French Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Rima Hassan, is under investigation after allegations surfaced that Israeli and European Union flags were thrown to the floor during a commemoration event for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated on Tuesday that the chamber takes the allegations "extremely seriously" and is following appropriate procedures, which include hearing from Hassan.

The incident reportedly occurred at an exhibition marking the anniversary of the attacks that initiated the Gaza war. According to Metsola's statement, the lawmaker was seen "apparently damaging an exhibition commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th." The statement detailed that Hassan allegedly removed the Israeli flag from its stand, causing the EU flag, attached to the same base, to fall. Both flags were reportedly left on the ground before the member departed the scene.

Hassan's staff issued a statement asserting that she removed the Israeli flag from its stand, and the EU flag accidentally fell due to a loss of balance. The statement specified that "Neither flag was trampled or damaged." The staff further explained that the action was intended "as a denunciation of the ongoing genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government" and was "in no way aimed at the people this event sought to honour, nor at their memory."

Hassan herself addressed the EU parliament on Tuesday, stating, "It is entirely possible – as we did with our group – to commemorate the victims of October 7 without associating ourselves with the genocidal Israeli state."

The incident has drawn criticism from other lawmakers. François-Xavier Bellamy, a right-wing French deputy, described Hassan's alleged actions as a potential form of "complicity with those who – including within Europe – seek to re-import the antisemitic hatred that marked the darkest chapters of our continent's history." Nathalie Loiseau, a centrist French parliament member, commented on X that Hassan "tramples on an Israeli flag at the European Parliament" and that the party LFI had "plumbed the depths of indecency."

Metsola emphasized the importance of maintaining an environment where people feel safe to speak and debate, stating, "We cannot have actions that could make people fearful of speaking. We cannot have damage to property. And we cannot have attempts to intimidate rather than to debate." She added, "At a time of rising global antisemitism, we owe it to Europe's Jewish community to ensure that when they look to us they see that this is their House too."

Hassan has a prior history of activism related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She was part of a flotilla that attempted to reach Gaza the previous year and was detained and subsequently expelled by Israeli authorities.