French MEP Rima Hassan denies throwing EU flag at October 7 event

French European Parliament member Rima Hassan has denied throwing the European Union flag to the floor during a 7 October commemoration. Euronews reported that Hassan has requested that closed-circuit television footage of the event be released to the press. Jewish News reported that she faces action after throwing an Israeli flag to the floor at an exhibition. In related coverage, Yahoo News Canada reported that European Parliament President Roberta Metsola intends to take action after Hassan removed the Israeli flag. [1][8][11]

Euronews reported that Hassan said she supports commemorating the victims of the 7 October attack, but opposes inviting Israeli authorities to the European Parliament. The lawmaker criticized what she described as double standards by the European Union, pointing out that the bloc has introduced 21 sanction packages against Russia while adopting none against Israel. According to EJ Press, several European Parliament members have called for sanctions against Hassan, while The New Arab confirmed that the European Parliament is investigating her over an Israeli flag protest. [1][9][10]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the incident occurred during the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks. Hassan is a jurist and politician who was born in the Neirab refugee camp near Aleppo, Syria, and holds a master degree in international law from Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She is the first French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, where she serves in the GUE/NGL group focusing on human rights and migration. [13][15][17]