French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, of the left-wing La France Insoumise political party, has been charged with defending terrorism this week. She surrendered to French police Tuesday morning and was held in custody until Thursday evening.
Hassan, a controversial Palestinian-French woman, who has made a series of controversial statements in recent years, mostly regarding Israel, was also in the news recently after a man was beaten to death by the left-wing group, La Jeune Garde while he was participating in a protest at an event in which Hassan was speaking.
This most recent charge against Hassan involves a posting she made on X, citing the words of a Japanese terrorist, Kozo Okamoto, a man who participated in the 1972 massacre at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including 17 Americans.
The below article in France 24 is translated by Fousesquawk.
Note: CBD is a natural hemp product while 3MMC (3-Methylmethcathinone) is a synthetic "designer drug", which is illegal in France.
French-Palestinian European Parliament Deputy, Rima Hassan, will be tried for "defending terrorism"
At the end of her custody Thursday evening, La France Insoumise Euro Deputy, Rima Hassan, was issued a summons to appear in court for "defending terrorism online", within the framework of an investigation regarding a posting. A small quantity of what appeared to be a synthetic drug was found in her purse, the prosecutor's office indicated.
Posted April 2, 2026 at 15:45
Updated on April 3, 2026 at 08:46
By France 24
Caption: Rima Hassan at a rally in her support at Place de Republique in Paris on June 12, 2025
European Deputy Rima Hassan was released from custody on Tuesday, April 2, during the evening and "was issued a summons to appear before the criminal court on July 7 to be tried for defending terrorism online", the Prosecutor's Office of Paris has announced.
On Tuesday morning, French-Palestinian European Parliament Deputy from La France Insoumise (party) presented herself to the Judicial Police in response to a summons to be placed in custody. "This placement in custody is possible without it being necessary to lift parliamentary immunity, within the framework of a preliminary investigation," the prosecutor's office pointed out.
The 33-year-old European Parliament deputy is charged with a posting on March 26, 2026, on her X account, referencing Kozo Okamoto. This man is the sole survivor of three perpetrators of the March 30, 1972 massacre perpetrated in the name of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FPLP) at the Israeli airport of Lod-Tel Aviv, which produced 26 deaths, including one Canadian, 8 Israelis, and 17 American citizens from Puerto Rico.
Accompanied by Japanese and Palestinian flags, Rima Hassan's post quoted remarks attributed to him: "Kozo Okamoto: I have dedicated my youth to the Palestinian cause. Where there is oppression, resistance will not just be a right, but a duty". She also reposted a text in English on Kozo Okamoto, "recalling that he took part in this attack and a photo in which he was being carried on the shoulders of men dressed in fatigues and keffiyehs," the prosecutor's office stated.
The posting had been reported to the prosecutor's office by the Interior Minister, then by the European Jewish Organization (OJE) and Licra (International League Against Racism and Antisemitism).
CBD and 3MMC
"No comment today, there will be a press conference tomorrow," Rima Hassan told the press Thursday evening upon leaving custody, in which, "everybody was very correct and professional".
The Euro-deputy then wrote on X that, "on the basis of illegal leaks, I have had to endure accusations that I was in possession of several drugs. These accusations are totally false," she thundered, noting that only the presence of CBD had been found, "which is perfectly legal."
A source close to the case had indicated that a small quantity of synthetic drugs had been found in the bag of the Euro-deputy. "The search of Rima Hassan's effects revealed the presence of substances, one resembling CBD, and the other 3MMC (a synthetic drug-Editor note), of which she was questioned, "the prosecutor's office indicated after her release from custody. "These elements are separate and will be the object of a separate procedure."
"Political police" and "judicial harassment"
The detention of Rima Hassan has sparked outrage within the ranks of La France Insoumise. Jean-Luc Melenchon denounced "political police", while Manon Aubry, another Euro-deputy of the movement, condemned "judicial harassment".
Rima Hassan is implicated in 6 other procedures, which the prosecutor's office won't comment on because they are "still ongoing". Thirteen other procedures led by the National Unit Combatting Online Hate have been dismissed "after having investigated the context in which the contested remarks were made, interviewing the person concerned, and the combination of explanations she gave within the framework of similar procedures, and the analysis of all the elements". Most of them involved the postings or other comments reported by OJE, other organizations, or members of Parliament.
A leading figure for the Palestinian cause, Rima Hassan does not hide her very radical positions on the State of Israel, which she calls "terrorist" and (makes) numerous controversial statements. She had been brought to the forefront by LFI during the European elections of 2024, where sending her to Brussels became one of the principal arguments of the Insoumise campaign.
She also made headlines by twice boarding ships headed to the Gaza Strip while denouncing a humanitarian blockade. She was temporarily detained by Israeli forces after the boat was intercepted.
-With Agence France-Presse
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