French MEP Rima Hassan to stand trial over online comment

French far-left MEP Rima Hassan will face trial on July 7, 2026, over a comment she posted on X last month regarding a 1972 attack by the Japanese Red Army at Tel Aviv’s Lod airport that killed 26 people, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on April 2.

Authorities detained Hassan for several hours on April 2, suspecting the March 26 post—later deleted—could be seen as showing support for terrorism, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

“At the end of her custody, Rima Hassan was given a summons to appear before the criminal court on July 7, 2026, to be tried on charges of advocating terrorism committed online,” the office said.

Hassan, 33, of Syrian birth and Palestinian descent, quoted on X a comment from an individual convicted for the attack who justified it by citing oppression in the Palestinian territories. The offence of online “terrorism apology” carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a €100,000 fine.

The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the European Jewish Organization had lodged complaints against the post. After her release, Hassan and her lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, said they would comment on the case only in a press conference on April 3 afternoon.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of Hassan’s party France Unbowed, said the proceedings were politically motivated. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez dismissed the claim: “There are rules to be respected. Apologising for terrorism is a very serious offense,” he said on BFMTV.

The prosecutor’s office also noted that Hassan faces six other investigations into possible hate speech, while 16 have been shelved. Police found cannabidiol (CBD) and a substance resembling designer drug 3-MMC in her possession, which will be addressed separately. Hassan has denied illegal drug possession, saying she uses CBD for medical reasons.

By Sabina Mammadli