THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

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 i…

French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan Detained over Pro-Palestine Social ... Rima Hassanwas detained over allegations of glorification of terrorism. The case centers on a deleted social media post referencingKozo Okamoto. She was released after several hours and summoned to appear in court. The case is part of a broader pattern of investigations against her. The investigation ignited political controversy in France. Melenchon condemned the detention as unbearable. Interior Minister Nuñez said apologising for terrorism is a very serious offense. Hassan faces a potential seven-year prison sentence. Police found synthetic drugs in Hassan's possession during her arrest. She faces six other investigations into possible hate speech. Her trial is scheduled for July 7, 2026. Turkey Arrests More Than 200 In Ankara Ahead Of NATO Summit, Detains Comedian Deniz Göktaş 15sources compared Paris Appeals Court Rules Tuesday on Whether Marine Le Pen Can Run in 2027 12sources compared Masked Burglars Steal Several Million Euros in Jewellery From Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder 17sources compared Erdoğan’s Turkey Faces NATO Contradictions After 2016 Coup Attempt and Ukraine War 14s…

Rima Hassan denounces 'political and judicial harassment' over Israel ... Since her election in 2024, Rima Hassan has become the "enemy within" in the eyes of the French political establishment, facing a barrage of judicial, media and political pressure as an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause. The French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament will be tried on Tuesday for "apology for terrorism", a French legal infraction which criminalises forms of expression said to support acts of terrorism or paint them in a positive light. Speaking to Middle East Eye on the eve of her trial, the MEP says this is all part of a concerted campaign against her for speaking up for Palestine. The trial is the latest attempt to use the courts against Hassan for criticism of Israel's occupation and genocide. In two years, 16 judicial proceedings have been initiated against her. Thirteen of these cases have already been dismissed without further action. Hassan told MEE she had been subject to intense judicial and political pressure in recent months, describing disproportionate investigative measures used against her, including the violation of her parliamentary immunity, retroactive su…

Rima Hassan denounces 'political and judicial harassment' over Israel criticism <article data-history-node-id="443551" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-palestinian-mep-rima-hassan-denounces-political-judicial-harassment-suppress-israel-criticism" class="story default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-palestinian-mep-rima-hassan-denounces-political-judicial-harassment-suppress-israel-criticism" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Rima Hassan denounces 'political and judicial harassment' over Israel criticism</span> </a> </h2> <footer> <div class="author"> Submitted by <span class="field field-uid"><a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/pauline-ertel" lang about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/pauline-ertel" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype>Pauline Ertel</a></span> on <span class="field field-created"><time datetime="2026-07-02T12:36:18+01:00" title="2 July 2026 12:36 BST">Thu, 07/02/2026 - 12:36</time> </span> </div> </footer> <div class="content"> <div class…

Rima Hassan denounces political judicial harassment after her detention ... Follow us 2 minutes 5 minutes 1 minute 6 minutes 2 minutes The French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, a member of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), rejected this Friday that her arrest the previous day was related to "drug possession" and maintains that she is a victim of "genuine political judicial harassment" motivated by her political positions. In an appearance before the media, he/she has stated to be "the object of genuine political judicial harassment due, and exclusively due, to (his/her) political opinions", especially for his/her involvement in the defense of the Palestinian cause. "This dynamic of harassment began since my entry into politics (and) has not ceased since then (...) These media storms have contributed to aggravating the situation, to distorting reality and the truth," he/she stated. In this context, he/she has claimed "to be able to express freely" his/her positions "with the radicality that I choose, with the tone that I choose and with the means that I must be able to choose within the framework of the exercise of my mandate". Hassan was arrested, and released…

October postponed the trial of Rima Hassan | Demócrata Follow us 1 minute 1 minute 6 minutes 4 minutes 1 minute The judicial process for an alleged offense of apology for terrorism against the French MEP Rima Hassan, a member of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), has been postponed until October, after her defense requested it and several civil parties in the prosecution incorporated new documentation at the last minute. The hearing was held in an atmosphere of great expectation, with a silent court facing a large concentration of support outside. With a kufiya on her head, Rima Hassan appeared this Tuesday before a Paris court, where hundreds of supporters gathered to back her, with Palestinian flags and banners, as reported by the French newspaper "Le Figaro". Among those present were prominent figures such as the leader of LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and the mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko. The MEP was summoned on charges of apology for terrorism following a social media post. The national coordinator of LFI, Manuel Bompard, has framed this procedure within what he considers a campaign of "political, media, judicial, and police harassment," recalling that …

Leftist MEP Rima Hassan says her terrorism trial is about silencing pro ... PARIS — French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan wants to turn a trial over accusations that she glorified a terrorist attack into a platform to showcase what she says is an attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices. Hassan, a vocal pro-Palestinian lawmaker in Brussels, will appear in court Tuesday for sharing a quote attributed to Kōzō Okamoto, a Japanese militant who was responsible for killing 26 people at an Israeli airport in 1972. “This is a political case,” Hassan said in an interview with POLITICO ahead of her court date. “It’s a way of putting the Palestinian cause on trial.” Advertisement On March 26, Hassan, a member of The Left group in the European Parliament, shared a post on X from a pro-Palestinian account and highlighted a quote attributed to Okamoto, a former member of the now-defunct Japanese Red Army, a communist group. The quote stated, “As long as there is oppression, resistance will not only be a right, but a duty.” For the prosecution, this amounted to an “apology for terrorism,” a crime under French law that includes expressing support for or justifying terror attacks. …

Pro-Palestinian Activism Faces Legal Scrutiny in France as MEP Rima ... Facebook X LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket Skype Messenger Messenger WhatsApp Telegram Viber Line Share via Email Rima Hassan, a 33-year-old French-Palestinian lawyer, activist, and member of the European Parliament elected in 2024 for the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party, became the focus of a major free-speech controversy in early April 2026. French police took her into custody on April 2 over a since-deleted social media post that referenced Kozo Okamoto, one of the perpetrators of the 1972 attack at Israel’s Lod Airport (later Ben Gurion International Airport), in which 26 people were killed. She was released the same evening but handed a summons to stand trial on July 7, 2026, on a charge of “advocating terrorism committed online.” Background on the Social Media Post and Investigation On March 26, 2026, Hassan posted content on X featuring a quote attributed to Okamoto: “I gave my youth to the Palestinian cause. As long as there is oppression, resistance is not only a right, it is a duty.” The message, which appeared alongside references to Palestinian resistance, …