MEP Admits Removing Israeli Flag From Oct. 7 Exhibit

French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, affiliated with the far-left LFI party, admitted to tampering with an exhibition commemorating the October 7th attacks, which was displayed at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Hassan stated that one of the exhibition organizers told her that "Palestine does not exist." European Parliament President Roberta Metsola strongly condemned the incident, stating that "we cannot allow actions that may cause people to fear expressing their opinions. We cannot allow damage to property. And we cannot allow attempts to intimidate or instill fear instead of holding a discussion." Metsola added, "At a time when antisemitism is growing worldwide, we owe it to the Jewish community in Europe to ensure that when they look at us, they see that this is their home too." She announced that she would speak at an event the following day to commemorate the victims of the October 7th attacks. Hassan, a member of the "France Unbowed" (France Insoumise) party and the left-wing group in the European Parliament, responded to Metsola's remarks, accusing her of making factually incorrect statements. Hassan defended her actions by comparing the display of the Israeli flag to the potential display of a Russian flag during the ongoing war in Ukraine, noting the exhibition was organized in cooperation with the Israeli embassy. Hassan confirmed she removed the Israeli flag from its stand, but claimed the European Union flag fell accidentally due to imbalance. She asserted that no damage was done to either flag and that she had written to Metsola to present her version of events.