Since her election in 2024, Rima Hassan has become the "enemy within" in the eyes of the French political establishment, facing a barrage of judicial, media and political pressure as an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause.
The French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament will be tried on Tuesday for "apology for terrorism", a French legal infraction which criminalises forms of expression said to support acts of terrorism or paint them in a positive light.
Speaking to Middle East Eye on the eve of her trial, the MEP says this is all part of a concerted campaign against her for speaking up for Palestine.
The trial is the latest attempt to use the courts against Hassan for criticism of Israel's occupation and genocide. In two years, 16 judicial proceedings have been initiated against her. Thirteen of these cases have already been dismissed without further action.
Hassan told MEE she had been subject to intense judicial and political pressure in recent months, describing disproportionate investigative measures used against her, including the violation of her parliamentary immunity, retroactive surveillance, as well as the dissemination of false information following her detention in April.
