EU Lawmaker Removes Israeli Flag From Oct. 7 Display
Was the Israeli flag protest a stand against impunity and double standards or an antisemitic insult to Oct. 7 victims?
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Above: Rima Hassan speaks during a session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on Oct. 6. Image credit: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images
The Facts
- French lawmaker Rima Hassan told the European Parliament on Tuesday that she removed an Israeli flag from an exhibition marking the Oct. 7 attacks, saying victims must be commemorated without associating with the Israeli state.
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola said a member was filmed damaging the exhibition, describing someone throwing an Israeli flag to the ground and knocking over an EU flag. She also said all appropriate steps were being taken to address the issues.
- Hassan's office said the EU flag was fixed to the same stand and fell due to a loss of balance, adding that no flag was stepped on or damaged. Hassan wrote to Metsola setting out her account and asked that the video be released.
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The Spin
Anti-Israel narrative
An Israeli flag has no legitimate place in the EU Parliament while the devastation of Gaza and violations of global law continue. Removing the symbol was a rejection of state impunity and colonial erasure, nothing to do with the erasure of victims of terrorism.
Pro-Israel narrative
Trampling Israeli and European flags beside Oct. 7 victims' photos shows contempt for innocent lives, not principled dissent. Flag desecration at a solemn commemoration normalizes antisemitic hostility and disgraces the European Parliament.
