Metsola to Respond After MEP Rima Hassan Removes Israeli Flag at October 7 Commemoration

Metsola to Respond After MEP Rima Hassan Removes Israeli Flag at October 7 Commemoration

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is set to take action after MEP Rima Hassan removed an Israeli flag during a commemoration ahead of October 7th. Hassan reportedly confirmed the act, stating 'kick down flag,' and expressed pride in her action. The incident has sparked controversy, with critics questioning how an elected politician could behave in such a manner. Metsola's response is awaited as the story develops.

Metsola to take action after MEP Rima Hassan removes Israeli flag. | Transcript:

An Israeli flag that ended up on the floor at a commemoration ahead of October 7th. What do you know about this incident and can you confirm it did take place? Well, to the best of my understanding, she confirmed it herself. She made a speech saying that she did kick down the Israeli flag. And then that the as a result of it the European flag fell as well. She said it in a speech to the best of my understanding. Therefore, it's not that there is she's not hiding anything. She's even proud of what she did, which is un- understandable, really. I cannot understand how a person that aims to be a politician, that aims to represent the public, can be so violent

and disrespectful of the death of thousands of people that has been caused by the same cause that she is trying to help. The head of the European Parliament is saying this is unacceptable and she takes this extremely serious. From your part as the Israeli ambassador to France, will you ask for the European Parliament to put forward more sanctions? Will you ask the French government to take action once the details are clarified? You know, Mrs. Imam Hassan, the member of Parliament that kicked down the flags, is accused of a support to terrorism. She's she is supposed to appear before court in

the in the next few days. This is a person that has been extremely active in her anti-Zionism and her anti-Semitism in the support of terrorism. She openly supports Hamas. She openly supports what Hamas did on October 7th. This is a terrible person. Let's be clear. And I think that it is she's perceived to be a terrible person by the largest part of the French politics. So, I it's not that I need to convince anybody that's the case. And she's also supporting openly terrorism in her statements and in the support that she gave to terrorist acts that took place in Israel in the past. So, she's a terrible person. Let's Let it be clear about that.

I do want to clarify there is an ongoing legal process, but she has denied she supported or expressed an apology of terrorism. Of course, that case will continue its path, but specifically though, given that this incident took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, will you escalate this matter to French authorities? Will you ask for this to be investigated as hate, anti-Semitism? This is an issue that has been dealt with by the European Parliament in our division of labor or embassy to Brussels to the embassy to the European Union is the one in charge of following this issue. And to the best of my understanding, there is a very

close dialogue between our embassy and the president of the European Parliament concerning this issue with the purpose of making sure that something like that will never happen again and that Mrs. Le Rima Hassan faces the charges that she needs to face. But you say all anti-Semitism is unacceptable. I have to ask you about the allegations that have appeared in the French press that Jordan Bardella, the right-hand man of Marine Le Pen, made anti-Semitic comments when he was 17. Some of these comments include "The Jews control all the banks." Do you see that also as equally worrying? Of course, any type of anti-Semitism, any statement, any type of a statement, act anyway is unacceptable and is

incomprehensible. Now, the question is as you said, these are allegations and we are following very closely. And we will make our We will react to it once it is clear that these allegations are true or if not, then we react otherwise. For the time being, we reserve our response. We have an issue. There is an issue of anti-Semitism in France. There is an issue of anti-Semitism in Europe. Unfortunately, the raise of anti-Semitism has happened significantly after October 7th. But, there is one party who is openly in France openly anti-Semitic, and that's LFI.

Uh and the leader of that party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, is he's copying the mimics of uh leaders that were active in Europe in the '30s of the last centuries. Uh so, are you making a comparison also to Nazism and Hitler? Would you say this gentleman acts like uh like Hitler did in the '30s? I've said that publicly in the past already, yes.

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