
The LFI MEP is accused of toppling flags during an exhibition commemorating the victims of October 7.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the opening of proceedings after MEP Rima Hassan was filmed removing an Israeli flag from an exhibition dedicated to the victims of October 7.
AI-generated summary
The incident took place during an exhibition at the European Parliament commemorating the victims of the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel.
The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola declared on Tuesday October 6 that she took "extremely seriously" the accusations targeting MEP Rima Hassan (LFI, radical left) who allegedly toppled the Israeli and European flags the day before during an exhibition dedicated to October 7.
“A member of this Assembly was filmed apparently damaging an exhibition” in the European Parliament “commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack perpetrated in Israel on October 7,” 2023, declared Roberta Metsola in the hemicycle.
She “removed the Israeli flag from its support”
“We take this matter extremely seriously and all appropriate measures under our procedures are being taken, including respecting the right of the person concerned to be heard,” she added. The incident mentioned was noted and is currently the subject of an analysis by the services of the European Parliament, a spokesperson told AFP earlier.
“We cannot tolerate acts of this kind which could dissuade people from expressing themselves, we cannot tolerate material damage, and we cannot tolerate attempts at intimidation rather than debate,” insisted Roberta Metsola. According to the MEP's team, Rima Hassan has already explained herself “shortly after the fact”.
When leaving the exhibition grounds, she “removed the Israeli flag from its support. The flag of the European Union, fixed on the same foot, then unfortunately fell under the effect of the imbalance. No flag was trampled or damaged,” according to this reaction sent by email to AFP.
“Reimport anti-Semitic hatred”
“Our gesture is part of the denunciation of the genocide still in progress carried out by the Israeli government”, but was “in no way aimed at the people to whom this event intended to pay homage, nor their memory”, they added. In the hemicycle, the elected official reiterated this argument. “We can perfectly, as we did with our group, commemorate the victims of October 7 without associating ourselves with the genocidal Israeli state,” she declared.
Monday evening, right-wing MEP François-Xavier Bellamy declared that Rima Hassan had “overturned the European flag and the Israeli flag”, which according to him constituted “a way of complicity with those who, including in Europe, seek to re-import the anti-Semitic hatred which has made up the worst hours in the history of our continent”. “Rima Hassan tramples an Israeli flag in the European Parliament. October 7 is the day after tomorrow. LFI, deep down indecency,” reacted MEP Nathalie Loiseau (center, Renew) on her X account.
According to an AFP count based on official data, 1,221 people were killed during the attack of October 7, 2023, the majority civilians. And 251 others were kidnapped and taken to Gaza by fighters of the Palestinian Islamist movement. The offensive launched in retaliation by Israel in Gaza left more than 74,200 dead, according to the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas and whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

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