French European Parliament member Rima Hassan has denied throwing an EU flag to the floor during a commemoration marking the 7 October attacks. She says CCTV footage should be made available to journalists so the incident can be assessed directly.
The dispute has drawn attention to a wider political argument inside the European Parliament over how the European Union responds to the Israel-Hamas war, including sanctions, diplomatic engagement and the participation of Israeli representatives in parliamentary events.
What Rima Hassan says happened
Hassan, a French MEP of Palestinian origin, rejected the allegation that she deliberately threw the European Union flag to the ground during the commemoration. Rather than relying on competing accounts, she has called for the release of CCTV recordings to the press.
Making the footage available could help establish the sequence of events and clarify whether the flag was intentionally discarded, accidentally displaced or handled in another way. Until that evidence is published, the allegation remains disputed.
The political dispute behind the incident
Hassan said she supports commemorating the victims of the 7 October attack. At the same time, she opposed the invitation of Israeli authorities to the European Parliament event, according to the report.
Her position reflects a broader disagreement over how European institutions should acknowledge the attacks while also addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza and allegations concerning Israel’s conduct in the conflict. These issues have produced sharp divisions among MEPs and national governments.
The European Parliament is a political institution with members representing different parties and national perspectives. Statements by an individual MEP do not automatically represent the position of Parliament as a whole or the official policy of the European Union.
Hassan raises issue of EU sanctions
Hassan also criticised what she described as double standards in EU foreign policy. She contrasted the European Union’s sanctions against Russia with what she said was the absence of equivalent sanctions against the Israeli state.
The comparison concerns two separate policy frameworks and should be understood carefully:
- The EU has adopted multiple sanctions packages targeting Russia in response to its war against Ukraine.
- The EU has also imposed restrictive measures on certain Israeli settler organisations and individuals linked to violence and human rights violations in the West Bank.
- Those measures do not amount to a general sanctions regime against the State of Israel.
- Sanctions decisions are taken through formal EU procedures and should not be confused with comments made by individual politicians.
The distinction matters because EU sanctions can target states, entities or individuals under different legal instruments. The scope, grounds and consequences of each measure depend on the decision formally adopted by the relevant EU institutions.
Why the controversy matters in European politics
The episode has become part of a larger debate about the European Union’s response to the conflict. MEPs and governments face competing demands: condemning the 7 October attacks, recognising the suffering of civilians, supporting humanitarian assistance and debating whether diplomatic or economic pressure should be increased.
For the European Parliament, such disputes also raise questions about political conduct, public symbolism and the way commemorations are organised. A flag associated with the EU can carry institutional significance, but an incident involving it does not by itself change EU policy.
The controversy also illustrates why visual evidence and precise attribution are important in fast-moving European news. Claims about conduct at public events can spread quickly, while the legal and institutional position may be more limited than the political reaction suggests.
What happens next?
The immediate next step is the possible publication or review of CCTV footage. If recordings are released, they may provide a clearer account of what happened during the commemoration. Further political responses could follow from MEPs, parliamentary groups or the organisers of the event.
There is no indication in the supplied report that the European Parliament has opened a formal disciplinary process or that the EU has changed its sanctions policy as a result of the dispute. Any such development would require confirmation from the relevant institution.
Key points
- Rima Hassan denies throwing an EU flag to the floor.
- She has called for CCTV footage to be made available to the press.
- She supports commemorating the victims of 7 October but opposes inviting Israeli authorities to the European Parliament event.
- She criticised what she described as differing EU approaches to Russia and Israel.
- The EU has sanctioned certain Israeli settler organisations, but the report does not describe a general sanctions regime against Israel.
Conclusion
Rima Hassan’s denial places the focus on evidence that could clarify the disputed flag incident. The wider argument, however, concerns the European Union’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war, the use of sanctions and the role of the European Parliament in political commemoration. For now, the central allegation remains contested, while any change to EU policy would require a separate, formally verified decision.
