Flash photo of Rima Hassan, European deputy and member of La France Insoumise (LFI), speaking alongside her lawyer Vincent Brengarth during a press conference following a hearing at the regional headquarters of the Paris judiciary police in Paris, France, on April 3, 2026. Photo: REUTERS

French far-left Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan is set to face trial in July over an incendiary post on X glorifying a 1970s terrorist attack on an Israeli airport – the latest controversy in her long history of antisemitic, hateful, and anti-Israel rhetoric.

Last week, French authorities briefly detained Hassan after suspecting that her March 26 post — later deleted — could be seen as supporting terrorism.

Now, Hassan has been summoned to appear before the Paris criminal court on July 7 to be tried “on charges of advocating terrorism committed online.”

In a post on X, the French lawmaker referenced the 1972 Japanese Red Army attack at Lod airport in Tel Aviv, which left 26 people dead, seemingly seeking to justify the terrorists’ deadly actions.

In the name of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, three Japanese terrorists arrived on an Air France flight from Rome with weapons hidden in violin cases, carrying out one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli soil in the 1970s.

In her post, Hassan quoted Kozo Okamoto, the sole surviving attacker, who defended the massacre by citing “the oppression of people in the Palestinian territories.”

Under French law, online “terrorism apology” carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison and fines reaching €100,000.

According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, Hassan is also under investigation in six other cases for potential hate speech, while 16 additional inquiries have been closed.

During a press conference, Hassan denounced the proceedings as “genuine judicial and political harassment” targeting her political views.

Born in Syria, the 33-year-old lawmaker has been a vocal pro-Palestinian activist and a fierce critic of Israel since her election to the European Parliament in 2024 for the French far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party.

Last year, Hassan was detained by Israeli authorities after security forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat attempting to break the blockade.

She and three other French nationals aboard the vessel were subsequently expelled from Israel.