Interview
French MEP Rima Hassan recounts being kidnapped by Israeli commandos
Hassan was on the Freedom Flotilla with Greta Thunberg stopped in international waters. ‘A policeman threatened to punch me if I didn't sign. Another one told me, “If it were up to me, I'd kill you.”’
La France Insoumise MEP Rima Hassan answered questions from il manifesto in Strasbourg, where she returned after an eventful week. Together with Greta Thunberg and a dozen volunteers, the Franco-Palestinian activist boarded the Freedom Flotilla and was stopped in international waters off the coast of Gaza by the Israeli army. After four nights in detention, she was finally released on Thursday, June 12 and deported to Paris.
On the night between June 8 and 9, the Freedom Flotilla was stopped by the Israeli army. How did the operation unfold?
We were blocked by Israel in international waters. The military intervened with several commando teams; dozens of soldiers took part in the operation. They forced us to spend about 20 hours on board the boat before reaching the port of Ashdod. Once there, we were met by police and soldiers with dogs, who searched us and forced us to strip naked. They even removed the soles of our shoes to check that we had nothing on us, and then locked us up in a detention center near the airport.
It was in this first detention center that the Israeli authorities asked you to sign a document so they could deport you. What was in it?
In this document, all the blame for what had happened was placed on us. It was a statement in which we admitted to having voluntarily entered Israeli territory illegally and that a deportation procedure would be carried out against us. They used this document as a means of pressure, saying that if we wanted to be sent back to our countries quickly, we would have to sign it. But when we read the text – which was in English – we said that we hadn’t committed any crime, that they had kidnapped us in international waters and forcibly taken us to Ashdod. Some of us had to sign because they needed to return quickly, but the rest of us did not sign and were therefore sent to Givon prison.
How did the Israeli authorities react to your refusal to sign this document? Did you receive threats?
Yes. A policeman threatened to punch me if I didn't sign. Another one told me, “If it were up to me, I'd kill you.” I think it's because I'm of Palestinian origin, but also because I stood up to them: I have great contempt for the Israeli police and army, so I held my head up high and I reacted strongly. They were very aggressive, but we stood up to them.
At one point, you were placed in solitary confinement. Why?
In the locker of the cell where I was being held, I found a piece of a medicine blister pack, which I assume was left behind by the detainee who was there before me. I used it to write “Free Palestine,” “Nakba,” and “Gaza genocide” in large letters on the cell wall. When they saw it, they got angry. A female soldier grabbed my head with both hands, hitting me lightly above the ears and saying, “You're completely crazy.” Eight policemen came to my cell and ordered me to clean it off. I refused. So they handcuffed my hands and feet and took me to the prison warden, who told me he would keep me in solitary confinement for a week.
The solitary confinement cell was in an awful state: tiny, unsanitary, the toilet full of filth, the mattress soaked and full of insects. I sat in front of the door, because the only place where there was a little air was the small space where you put your hands through to be handcuffed before going out. As soon as they put me there, I announced that I was going on hunger strike. In the end, I was taken back to my cell that same evening. The French consul exerted some pressure, together with the lawyers to ensure that I would leave as planned the next day. But at first, it was not at all certain that I would get off so easily.
Your detention has sparked a great mobilization in France. How do you view the European Parliament's reaction?
As of now, the President of the European Parliament has not yet condemned my arrest and detention, nor the illegal interception in international waters. Nor did she call for my unconditional release and that of the other volunteers while I was in prison. A few months ago, China decreed that certain MEPs would no longer be allowed to enter the country. This was without them being detained. Or handcuffed or shackled. And the EU Parliament suspended certain agreements with Beijing for this reason. Now, despite what happened to me, the President of the European Parliament has not made any public appeal for my release, nor has the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
At the same time, there was a great mobilization of progressive groups, well beyond the Left group to which I belong – and it is always a great political victory to be able to go beyond the ranks of one's own political apparatus for such a cause. In addition, we received support from 10 United Nations special rapporteurs, in an appeal they published in the morning of the day of our departure.
How do you assess the reaction of the French authorities?
Clearly, it came late. Of course, while we were in detention, the French consul was very sympathetic and came to visit us as soon as he could. However, we only got the attention of the diplomatic authorities after we were arrested, when we really wanted to have it during the crossing in order to ensure our safe passage to Gaza. That did not happen. On the contrary, some ministers even said that we knew what we were getting into, that we knew we would be arrested... But just because we know that Israel violates international law doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to it. It’s just like saying, since you know that the Russian regime is of a certain nature, then stop resisting and fighting. Our role as citizens and politicians is to fight against regimes that violate international law, that starve civilians, that commit genocide. Instead of support, we received a lot of contempt from politicians and the media.
On Thursday, after being released and put on a flight to Paris, you immediately went to Place de la République, where a crowd of protesters was waiting to welcome you. How did that make you feel?
It was something that surprised me; I hadn't realized how much people had mobilized. There were people who literally slept in the square for days on end. It was a lovely surprise to see how much people identified with the Flotilla's initiative. It warmed my heart and gave me a feeling of hope, compared to the fatigue I felt during all these months, the disillusionment after the statements from European states and their complicity.
The initiative was a great success. Do you think it is necessary to repeat it, given the ongoing genocide in Gaza?
I am at the disposal of all those who are working for the Palestinian cause, whether here in the EU Parliament or through political and civic mobilization. As Dr. Raphaël Pitti said, who worked in Gaza and Rafah, the only possible response to genocide is civil disobedience. The message I have for your readers is that we must continue to mobilize and not despair. Struggles for liberation take decades to achieve, and everyone must do their part. Sometimes you belong to a generation that has a mission: there was a generation that fought against apartheid in South Africa, another against the war in Vietnam, and today there is a generation that must mobilize against the genocide in Gaza. We must rise to the occasion.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/arrembati-maltrattati-e-minacciati-ma-ue-e-governo-non-hanno-detto-niente on 2025-06-19