EU Parliament row erupts as MEP disputes Metsola's account of flag incident
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and French lawmaker Rima Hassan gave conflicting versions of a Monday evening incident in which Israeli and EU flags were knocked over at an exhibition marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks.
A public dispute broke out in Strasbourg on Tuesday between European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and French MEP Rima Hassan over what actually happened the previous evening at an exhibition commemorating the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Ahead of Tuesday's votes, Metsola told lawmakers that a member of Parliament had been filmed apparently damaging the display — throwing an Israeli flag to the ground and dropping its pole, which also caused an EU flag to topple. Both flags, she said, were left lying on the floor. She described the matter as extremely serious, said appropriate steps were being taken, and stressed that the lawmaker involved would get a chance to present their side. Metsola did not name the MEP or announce any sanctions, but said Parliament could not tolerate damage to property or conduct that might be seen as intimidation. A Parliament spokesperson said the next step would be hearing from the lawmaker, while a spokesperson for Metsola said possible procedures could include sanctions.
Minutes later, Rima Hassan of France's Unbowed party, part of the Parliament's Left group, took the floor to call Metsola's account factually false. She said the exhibition had been arranged together with the Israeli embassy, a claim Parliament's spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied, saying instead that the center-right European People's Party had organized the event. Hassan defended her objection to displaying the Israeli flag in Parliament, likening it to showing a Russian flag given Moscow's war against Ukraine. She further claimed the exhibition included a map depicting a "Greater Israel" and that organizers had told her that Palestinians and Palestine do not exist — claims that could not be independently verified.
The previous night, French center-right MEP François-Xavier Bellamy had accused Hassan of throwing both the Israeli and EU flags to the floor and called for her to face sanctions. Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno likewise accused Hassan of trampling the flags. In a statement, Hassan acknowledged removing the Israeli flag from its stand but said the EU flag fell over by accident when she lost her balance, adding that neither flag was damaged. She said she had written to Metsola to explain her version of events and told the chamber directly: "I did not touch the European flag."
The exhibition marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Under Parliament's rules, penalties for serious misconduct can range from a reprimand to loss of daily allowances or temporary suspension from some parliamentary activities.
