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European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she would take “all appropriate steps” against an MEP who sparked protests and criticism from fellow lawmakers in Strasbourg on Monday after throwing an Israeli flag to the floor.
Although Metsola did not name the MEP, the lawmaker was identified as Rima Hassan. Her office confirmed that she had removed an Israeli flag during an exhibition commemorating the victims of the 7 October 2023 terrorist attack in Israel.
According to parliamentary sources, she confronted Israeli artist Yaron Bob, who created the exhibition, accusing him of presenting a “one-sided account” of the attack.
“This house is a place where all of us must feel safe and secure and we reject in the strongest possible terms any action by any person that feels or makes anyone feel less protected,” Metsola said in a statement in plenary session following the incident. “At a time of rising global antisemitism, we owe it to Europe’s Jewish community to ensure that when they look at us, they see that this is their house too.”
Metsola added that “all the appropriate steps” will be taken, “including the right of the person to be heard.”
Born stateless in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, Hassan is one of France’s most prominent pro-Palestinian activists. She is currently on trial in France over alleged online remarks deemed to constitute an apology for terrorism, while Israeli authorities have accused her of being associated with Hamas.
Hassan could face a reprimand, a temporary suspension from Parliament’s activities, and/or a suspension of her daily allowance (€350 per day) for a period of up to sixty days.
An official in Metsola’s office told Euronews that the Parliament’s presidency is now examining is now examining all available information to assess the incident and decide on the potential consequent penalty. The decision will not be taken during the current plenary session, the official added.
Hassan acknowledged in a statement from her office that she had removed the Israeli flag from its stand, but claimed the European Union flag, which was attached to the same base, fell as a result of the imbalance.
The statement said that “no flag was stepped on or damaged.”
“Her gesture was directed exclusively at the holding, within the premises of the European Parliament, of an event organised in conjunction with the diplomatic representation of the State of Israel, during which objects presented as having been made from fragments of Israeli missiles were notably offered for sale,” the text said.
The gesture sparked reactions among MEPs and beyond the Parliament.
“Not even in the face of tragedy, her antisemitism can be put aside. Shame on her,” said Parliament’s vice-president Pina Picierno, from the Socialists and Democrats group.
Other lawmakers such as Renew Europe’s Nathalie Loiseau and European Conservatives and Reformists’ Nicola Procaccini also attacked her on social media and through statements in Parliament.
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the incident as “shameful, outrageous, but sadly not surprising.”
Israel’s ambassador to France Joshua Zarka told Euronews in an interview that Hassan “has been extremely active in her anti-Zionism and her anti-Semitism in support of terrorism,” accusing her of “openly supporting what Hamas did on 7 October”.
During an intervention at a plenary session, Hassan defended that the Parliament should “commemorate the victims of 7 October, without any association to the State of Israel,” which she considers “a genocidal state” for the killings of civilians in Gaza.