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European Parliament president Roberta Metsola is investigating French far-left lawmaker Rima Hassan for allegedly throwing Israeli and EU flags to the floor during an event commemorating victims of the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel. Hassan’s staff claims she removed the Israeli flag from its stand, causing a connected European Union flag to fall accidentally. Opponents, including right-wing French deputy Francois-Xavier Bellamy, have criticized her actions as antisemitic and indecent.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Tuesday, Rima Hassan, a Palestinian-origin lawmaker from the French far-left party France Unbowed (LFI), faced an investigation by the European Parliament following allegations that she threw Israeli and EU flags to the floor during a commemoration event for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The incident occurred at an event marking three years since those attacks. Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, stated that she takes these allegations extremely seriously and assured that all appropriate procedures are being followed, including giving Hassan a chance to explain her actions. According to Metsola's statement, video footage showed Hassan allegedly throwing the Israeli flag on the ground, dropping a flagpole, and knocking down an EU flag during the commemoration at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Written for “Israeli Flags Controversy France” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 60134: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-06
A far-left French EU lawmaker faced an investigation Tuesday after the Israeli and European Union flags were allegedly thrown to the floor at a commemoration for the 2023 Hamas attacks that set off the Gaza war.
uncertain
that → face → war
European Parliament president Roberta Metsola said she took 'extremely seriously' the allegations made against Rima Hassan, a Palestinian-origin lawmaker with the France Unbowed (LFI) party, following an event Monday marking three years since the October 7, 2023 attacks.
asserted
she → say → attacks
'A member of this house was filmed apparently damaging an exhibition commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th,' Metsola said in a statement on the incident.
'
asserted
Metsola → film → incident
I want to underline that we take this extremely seriously and that all the appropriate steps according to our procedures are being taken, including the right of the person concerned to be heard,' she told lawmakers.
uncertain
she → want → lawmakers
'The person concerned was seen allegedly throwing the flag of Israel to the ground, dropped a flagpole and the European Union flag was knocked down.
uncertain
flag → concern → flagpole
Both flags were left lying on the ground before the member left the scene.
asserted
member → leave → scene
'
Hassan's staff said in a statement she had explained the events shortly after the controversy.
asserted
she → say → controversy
While leaving the exhibition venue, Hassan 'removed the Israeli flag from its stand.
asserted
Hassan → leave → stand
The European Union flag, attached to the same base, then accidentally fell due to the loss of balance.
asserted
flag → attach → balance
Neither flag was trampled or damaged,' according to the statement sent to AFP.
uncertain
flag → trample → AFP
'Our action was part of denouncing the ongoing genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government,' but was 'in no way aimed at the people this event sought to honour, nor at their memory,' it added.
asserted
it → denounce → memory
Rima Hassan is under investigation after the Israeli and European Union flags were allegedly thrown to the floor at a commemoration for the 2023 Hamas attacks that set off the Gaza war
Hassan 'removed the Israeli flag from its stand', and the European Union flag, attached to the same base, accidentally fell due to the loss of balance, her staff alleged
'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,' Hassan told the EU parliament on Tuesday.
uncertain
Hassan → throw → Tuesday
Opponents have criticised Hassan however.
asserted
Opponents → criticise → Hassan
Right wing French deputy Francois-Xavier Bellamy said that her act was 'a 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'.
asserted
that → say → history
Centrist French parliament member Nathalie Loiseau said on X: 'Rima Hassan tramples on an Israeli flag at the European Parliament.
asserted
Hassan → say → Parliament
LFI has plumbed the depths of indecency.'
asserted
LFI → plumb → indecency
In her statement Metsola went on to warn: 'We cannot have actions that could make people fearful of speaking.
uncertain
people → go → actions
We cannot have damage to property.
asserted
We → have → property
And we cannot have attempts to intimidate rather than to debate.
asserted
we → have → attempts
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.
asserted
this → rise → us
Hassan was on a flotilla that attempted to reach Gaza last year and was among activists detained and later expelled by Israeli authorities.
asserted
that → attempt → authorities
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