Rima Hassan Faces Trial in France Over X Post Referencing 1972 Lod Airport Attack

French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan faced a trial over charges of "apology for terrorism" after she shared a quote on X referencing the 1972 Lod airport attack, and Hassan told PressTV that "This is a political case."

Hassan said French authorities subjected her to sweeping surveillance measures and political pressure in an effort to silence her criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza, and she described the case as "a way of putting the Palestinian cause on trial."

Al Jazeera

POLITICO reported that Hassan will appear in court Tuesday for sharing a quote attributed to Kōzō Okamoto, a Japanese militant who was responsible for killing 26 people at an Israeli airport in 1972.

POLITICO also said the prosecution framed the post as an “apology for terrorism,” a crime under French law that includes expressing support for or justifying terror attacks, while Hassan said she could not be accused of glorifying crimes simply for sharing the quote.

Ahead of her court date, Hassan described "disproportionate investigative measures" including the lifting of her parliamentary immunity, retroactive surveillance, and the dissemination of false information following her detention in April.

In POLITICO’s account, Hassan said she was protected by parliamentary immunity, which shields her from arrest unless she is caught committing a crime, and she argued that her immunity had been breached.

Al Jazeera

Middle East Eye reported that Hassan was taken into police custody on 2 April after posting a quote on X by Kozo Okamoto, and it said she was held in police custody for more than 13 hours despite her parliamentary immunity.

Middle East Eye also quoted Hassan saying, "This way of proceeding is part of a political climate in which Palestinians, or people perceived as such, are too often regarded as suspects before they are regarded as citizens," and it added that she said the reflex was "fuelled by Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism."

A Paris criminal court postponed the hearing in the case of Rima Hassan to October 19, with the session to continue the following day, after discussion about trial conditions and the defense's right to review a file that had grown to hundreds of pages.

The Arabic-language report said Hassan’s lawyer, Vincent Bringart, requested an adjournment, arguing that the defense received new conclusions and documents very late, including a file of 132 pages sent without the defense being able to read them and discuss them with Hassan before appearing.

The court stressed that "the goal is to ensure the integrity of the discussion and enable everyone to study the documents," and it requested that the files be sent eight days before the next session.

Bringart told reporters the decision was an 'initial victory' for the defense, and the report said the bench announced the postponement to October 19 and 20 after more than two hours of deliberation.