Flag incident at the Strasbourg memorial

On Monday evening, 5 October 2026, an incident took place at an exhibition inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg commemorating victims of the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel. Security cameras recorded French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, an elected representative of La France Insoumise within The Left group, removing an Israeli flag from its display stand. The European Union flag attached to the same base fell to the floor beside it, and both flags remained on the ground after she left the area. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno posted a video on social media on Tuesday morning, identifying Hassan and accusing her of deliberately throwing down and trampling both flags. Representatives from the European Conservatives and Reformists and Patriots groups condemned the incident as unacceptable, while several MEPs demanded either a formal apology or Hassan's resignation.

Disciplinary inquiry and Hassan's defence

Parliament President Roberta Metsola addressed the plenary chamber in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, confirming that an official fact-finding inquiry is underway. Metsola stated that the assembly cannot tolerate property damage or intimidation, emphasizing that the European Jewish community must feel safe in the parliament amid rising global antisemitism. The co-chair of The Left, Manon Aubry, held discussions with Metsola to review the recorded footage and establish the exact circumstances.

“We take this matter extremely seriously and all appropriate measures are being taken in accordance with our procedures.”

In response, Hassan and her team sent a statement to AFP confirming that she removed the Israeli flag as a protest against military operations in the Gaza Strip. The statement maintained that the European Union flag fell accidentally because of an imbalance, asserting that neither flag was trampled or damaged. Addressing the plenary, Hassan, who was born a stateless Palestinian before acquiring French nationality in 2010, defended her actions and compared displaying the flag to showing a Russian flag in the chamber.

“It is perfectly possible, as we have done with our group, to commemorate the victims of October 7 without associating ourselves with the genocidal state of Israel.”

During the plenary exchanges, French MEP François-Xavier Bellamy of Les Républicains directly confronted Hassan, accusing her group of fostering hostility in the institution.

Diplomatic backlash and anniversary context

The incident drew immediate criticism from Israeli and French government officials. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on X that Hassan's conduct was shameful and scandalous, referencing her past participation in an intercepted Gaza aid flotilla. At the French National Assembly in Paris, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot recalled that 51 French nationals died during the 7 October attacks and called on the European Parliament to impose exemplary disciplinary sanctions if the allegations are verified. French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad also publicly condemned the treatment of the flags.

The controversy surfaced two days before Wednesday, 7 October 2026, the third anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel. Following that attack, Israel launched military operations across the Gaza Strip that have resulted in an estimated death toll of at least 75,000 Palestinians, with over 175,000 injured. Metsola confirmed she will attend official memorial ceremonies to honour the victims of the 2023 attack.