French police detained European Parliament member Rima Hassan in Paris for several hours on Thursday as part of an investigation into an alleged “apology for terrorism”, following a social media post linked to a deadly attack in Israel in the 1970s.
The 33-year-old, who represents the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI), was taken into custody on 2 April and will face trial in July over a comment she posted on X last month about a 1970s attack on an Israeli airport, the Paris prosecutor's office said late on Thursday.
"At the end of her custody, Rima Hassan was given a summons to appear before the criminal court on 7 July, 2026, to be tried on charges of advocating terrorism committed online," the office said in an emailed statement.
French prosecutors are investigating whether the post could be interpreted as expressing support for terrorism, a serious offence under French law.
Her post, now deleted, referenced the 1972 attack at Lod Airport, now known as Ben Gurion International Airport, where 26 people were killed.
The attack was carried out by members of the Japanese Red Army, including Kōzō Okamoto, who was later convicted.
Hassan had quoted remarks attributed to Okamoto that sought to justify the attack by pointing to what he described as the oppression of Palestinians.
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 in separate posts on X that they would only comment on the process in a press conference on Friday afternoon.
According to reports, Hassan was questioned while in custody, and a small quantity of synthetic drugs was allegedly found on her at the time of her arrest. Hassan has denied illegal drug possession, saying in her post that she takes CBD for medical reasons.
The prosecutor's office has said that Hassan is the subject of six other investigations into possible hate speech while 16 others have been shelved.
The offence of online "terrorism apology" is punishable by up to a seven-year jail term and a fine of up to €100,000 ($115,290).
Her detention quickly sparked a political row. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of LFI, condemned the move, writing on X that Hassan had been targeted over a repost from last month. “So there is no longer parliamentary immunity in France. Intolerable,” he said.
Other figures from her party were equally critical. Mathilde Panot said the case reflected a worrying trend under President Emmanuel Macron, accusing authorities of “criminalising political opponents”. Fellow MP Sophia Chikirou described the detention as an attempt to intimidate those who support the Palestinian cause.
However, critics from the political right welcomed the move. Matthias Renault, who had alerted prosecutors to Hassan’s post, said her detention marked “the beginning of the end of impunity”.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, "There are rules to be respected. Apologising for terrorism is a very serious offense," he said on TV station BFMTV.
Hassan, a French-Palestinian lawyer and activist elected to the European Parliament in 2024, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Her outspoken stance has made her a prominent figure in debates over the conflict, but has also drawn strong criticism from pro-Israel groups.
Her recent experiences have added to the sense of controversy surrounding her. Just last week, she said she had been denied entry to Canada, where she was due to speak at public events, describing the decision as censorship.
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