French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan slams 'judicial harassment'

Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament known for her outspoken criticism of Israel, on Friday denounced "judicial harassment", saying she was being punished for her political views.

Hassan, a 33-year-old politician from France Unbowed (LFI) party, is an outspoken advocate for the rights of Palestinians.

She is to be tried in France in July over allegedly "promoting terrorism" in a social media post, prosecutors have said.

Hassan was born in a refugee camp near Aleppo in northern Syria before arriving in France with her family. In 2024, she became the first French-Palestinian member of the European parliament.

"I am the subject of genuine judicial and political harassment solely because of my political views," she told a news conference at the offices of her lawyer, Vincent Brengarth.

"This pattern of harassment began as soon as I entered politics", she said.

Her party threw its weight behind her, with LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard saying the EU lawmaker was "the target of judicial persecution".

Since the start of the Gaza genocide, tensions have been high in France, a country that is home to western Europe's largest Jewish population as well as a significant Muslim community.

Last year Hassan was arrested in Israel for taking part in an activist aid flotilla to Gaza.

On Thursday, Hassan was detained for several hours over allegations she "promoted terrorism" in a social media post.

'No persecution'

She is to be tried on July 7 over the comments on X last month, in which she referred to a Japanese activist who took part in a 1972 attack in Tel Aviv that killed 26 people, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday.

Several Jewish organisations had filed a legal complaint, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.

He dismissed Hassan's claims she is being targeted for her political views.

"Ms. Hassan's tweet is serious," he said. "There is no persecution."

Prosecutors said CBD - a drug made from the hemp plant - and a synthetic drug called 3MMC were found in her possession while in custody.

Hassan defended herself, saying CBD was legal in France.

"Of the two CBD products I had, one was tested and found to comply with what is sold legally, and the second, according to the investigators, contained traces of synthetic drugs that had apparently been added to the CBD resin," she said on X on Friday.

On Friday, Hassan was hauled back in for questioning for a second day in a row.

She said on X that Friday's case was linked to separate complaints from Jewish organisations and a far-right women's collective called Nemesis.

The far-right group in February protested against Hassan when she spoke at a university in Lyon, leading to the fatal beating of a young man.

The death of Quentin Deranque, a far-right activist, has been blamed on "anti-fascists" from the hard left.

The Paris prosecutor's office said on Friday Hassan was also served with two summonses to appear in court on September 16, on charges of glorifying a crime and incitement to commit a crime.