The European Parliament announced on Tuesday 6 October 2026 that it was taking seriously the incident involving French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan removing an Israeli flag from an exhibition inside the institution’s premises during an event commemorating the victims of the 7 October 2023 attack.
The MEP’s team confirmed that she had removed the Israeli flag, but denied that she had deliberately knocked down the European Union flag or damaged either flag. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said during a plenary session at the parliament’s premises in the French city of Strasbourg that a member of the institution appeared in a video recording to be vandalising an exhibition inside parliament.
She added that the institution was treating the matter “with the utmost seriousness” and that the appropriate procedures set out in its rules were under way, while respecting the person concerned’s right to be heard. Metsola stressed that parliament could not tolerate actions that, she said, might deter people from expressing their views, nor damage to property or attempts at intimidation instead of resorting to debate.
Parliament’s presidency opens proceedings over incident
A parliament spokesperson had earlier said that the institution’s services were working to analyse the incident. The presidency’s position came after right-wing and far-right lawmakers launched a campaign against Hassan, a member of the European Parliament affiliated with the France Unbowed movement.
The accusations focused on the removal of both the Israeli and European flags from the exhibition, while the MEP’s team gave a different account of how the European Union flag fell. Hassan’s team explained that she removed the Israeli flag as she left the exhibition, but the European Union flag was attached to the same base, causing it to fall accidentally as a result of the imbalance.
The team added that neither flag had been trampled on or damaged. Hassan’s team framed the action as “a condemnation of the genocide that the Israeli government continues to commit”, referring to the war in the Gaza Strip. It stressed that Hassan’s action was not aimed at the people whom the event was held to honour, nor intended to insult their memory.
Rima Hassan’s team explains fall of European flag
Hassan defended her position by criticising the European Parliament’s handling of Israel’s practices against Palestinians. She said: “No one here would accept displaying the Russian flag, and it is entirely natural to oppose that, specifically in view of the crimes Russia is committing.” She added: “Whether you like it or not, Israel is committing genocide today, and the crime of apartheid, which is a crime against humanity.”
The MEP said the event had promoted what is known as the “Greater Israel map”, and that when organisers were asked about the Palestinian people and Palestine, they replied that they did not exist. She reiterated her position during Tuesday’s parliamentary session, saying: “It is entirely possible to commemorate the victims of 7 October without associating them with the Israeli state, which is committing genocide.”
Hassan defends her position in parliament
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, meanwhile, attacked Hassan after she was accused of removing both flags. He wrote on X that what happened was “shameful and infuriating, but unfortunately not surprising”, saying that the desecration inside the European Parliament of an exhibition commemorating the victims of 7 October by an MEP whom he described as part of the “radical left” showed, above all, her lack of respect for the institution where she works.
Rima Hassan is 33 and is considered one of the prominent political figures supporting the Palestinian cause in France. Her activism has been particularly visible through her participation in Freedom Flotilla activities aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The French-Palestinian MEP had previously faced trial on 7 July 2026 on a charge of “glorifying terrorism”, after reposting a tweet containing a quotation from Kōzō Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who took part in the 1972 Lod Airport operation, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people.
Hassan also underwent another judicial investigation in late 2023 on a charge of “glorifying terrorism”, over statements attributed to her that were deemed supportive of Hamas after the 7 October 2023 attack. The European Parliament’s new proceedings come amid continued political controversy over her action inside the exhibition and her account of the motives behind removing the Israeli flag.
