Gaza Genocideupdated 1h ago2 min read
Roberta Metsola Moves After Rima Hassan Removes Israeli And EU Flags At October 7 Memorial
Rima Hassan removed Israeli and EU flags from a Oct. 7 memorial in Strasbourg. European Parliament President Metsola said she would take appropriate steps against Hassan.
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Flags at Oct. 7 memorial
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she took “extremely seriously” the allegations that a member of the assembly was filmed “apparently damaging an exhibition commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th,” after Rima Hassan removed an Israeli flag and the European Union flag was knocked down. Rima Hassan acknowledged removing the Israeli flag from its stand, and she said the European Union flag “then accidentally fell due to the loss of balance,” while her office said “Neither flag was trampled or damaged.”
Metsola told lawmakers that “all the appropriate steps according to our procedures are being taken, including the right of the person concerned to be heard,” as the incident was tied to a commemoration of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. François-Xavier Bellamy accused Hassan of throwing “the European flag and the Israeli flag to the ground” during a commemoration in Strasbourg, and he called for her to be “sanctioned without delay.”
Backlash and competing claims
Pina Picierno condemned Hassan’s actions by saying Hassan had “profaned” the exhibition, “trampling the flags of Israel and the European Union,” and she described it as “antisemitism without restraint.” Hassan pushed back against Metsola’s account, accusing the Parliament president of making comments that were “factually false,” and she said the exhibition was organized in partnership with the Israeli embassy.
Metsola warned that “We cannot have actions that could make people fearful of speaking,” and she added that “We cannot have damage to property” and “We cannot have attempts to intimidate rather than to debate.” Gideon Sa’ar denounced the incident as “shameful, outrageous, but sadly not surprising,” and he said the “desecration of the exhibition” showed “how little respect she has for the very institution in which she serves.”
Sanctions, investigation, and Gaza
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the presidency was examining information to assess the incident and decide on potential consequences, and she said the decision would not be taken during the current plenary session. Euronews reported that 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, while Metsola said “all the appropriate steps” would be taken “including the right of the person to be heard.”
“Both flags were left lying on the ground before the member left the scene.”
Hassan’s office said her gesture was meant to protest Israel’s “ongoing genocide” in Gaza, and it said the action was “in no way aimed at the people this event sought to honour, nor at their memory.” Le Monde reported that Metsola said the person concerned was seen “allegedly throwing the flag of Israel to the ground,” dropping a flagpole, and leaving both flags “lying on the ground before the member left the scene,” as the investigation proceeded on October 6, 2026.