France rocked by revelations of extensive surveillance targeting Palestine advocate MEP Rima Hassan

PARIS (MNTV) — A political firestorm has erupted in France after the investigative outlet Mediapart published a report alleging that European Parliament member Rima Hassan, one of the country’s most prominent voices in support of Palestinian rights, was subjected to an extraordinary scope of police surveillance stretching back months before the investigation against her was even formally opened.

According to Mediapart’s findings, published on April 16, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an expedited inquiry on March 27, 2026, into Hassan on suspicion of glorifying terrorism. 

The case stemmed from a post Hassan published the previous day on the social media platform X, in which she referenced Kozo Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who participated in a deadly attack at Israel’s Lod airport in 1972 that killed 26 people. 

The post was carried out on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

But rather than simply summoning the lawmaker for questioning — a routine step in such cases — investigators deployed a sweeping surveillance apparatus. 

They requested geolocation data from Hassan’s mobile phone operator covering a period from January 1 through March 28, 2026, meaning the tracking spanned nearly three months of activity before the social media post that triggered the probe.

The investigation painstakingly documented Hassan’s movements: holiday travel abroad in early January, her return to Paris, trips to Saint-Denis, the Oise department, Brussels for her parliamentary duties, Strasbourg for European Parliament sessions, and even a trip to Lyon on February 14. 

Investigators also queried France’s national travel data agency and obtained her travel history from SNCF, the national rail service, and the international rail operator Thalys. Even Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, and Air France were reportedly tapped for information.

“No justification for these measures”

Hassan’s attorney, Vincent Brengarth, responded with outrage. He argued that no legitimate basis existed for such extensive surveillance measures, particularly given that the geolocation tracking began in January while the social media post at issue was published on March 26. 

He characterized the investigation as completely disproportionate and said it constituted an exceptionally serious violation of both Hassan’s personal privacy and her role as a sitting parliamentarian.

The defense has raised particular concern over the use of an expedited investigation framework — a procedural tool normally reserved for situations where there is a risk that a suspect might flee or destroy evidence. Critics argue this mechanism was used to circumvent the parliamentary immunity Hassan holds as a European Parliament member.

Uproar in the National Assembly

The revelations ignited an immediate political confrontation in the French National Assembly. 

Mathilde Panot, the leader of LFI’s parliamentary delegation, described the findings as extraordinarily grave, while LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard denounced the affair as a state scandal.

LFI lawmaker Antoine Léaument took the floor to directly accuse state security services of placing an elected official under surveillance on the pretext of an inquiry linked to a single social media post. 

He argued that when authorities track the schedule and location of a sitting member of parliament, it goes far beyond the normal exercise of police and judicial power, and potentially constitutes a violation of fundamental rights and the rule of law.

Léaument demanded that Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin appear before the Assembly to explain the situation without delay. LFI founder Jean-Luc Mélenchon went further, declaring that if Darmanin was behind the abuse of power, he must come and account for himself immediately.

Government’s response

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who happened to be present at the National Assembly for debate on a separate immigration bill, pushed back by invoking the separation of powers. 

He insisted the matter was a judicial proceeding and that the rule of law required respecting that boundary. When LFI lawmaker Ugo Bernalicis accused Nuñez of deploying domestic intelligence services against Hassan in violation of regulations, the minister denied it, stating that territorial intelligence does not work on political matters.

The Paris prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the investigation when contacted by Mediapart, noting only that the issue could be raised at trial. The European Parliament’s press service similarly stated that it does not comment on ongoing judicial proceedings.

Hassan’s response and next steps

Speaking at a press conference at her lawyer’s office following her earlier detention in the case, 

Hassan described herself as the target of judicial and political harassment rooted entirely in her political views, adding that the pattern began the moment she entered politics.

Hassan has announced plans to appeal to the United Nations independent rapporteur as well as the European Parliament itself over the surveillance.

The surveillance affair is only the latest chapter in a long-running clash between French authorities and the 33-year-old lawmaker.

 Born in the Neirab refugee camp near Aleppo, Syria, Hassan arrived in France as a child and became a naturalized citizen in 2010. She holds a master’s degree in international law from the Sorbonne and was elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 on the LFI ticket — the first French-Palestinian to hold such a seat.

When she was taken into custody in early April in connection with the current case, LFI founder Mélenchon condemned the detention as an act of political policing, while the far-right National Rally lawmaker Matthias Renault — who had himself reported Hassan’s post to prosecutors — welcomed it.

Broader implications

The affair has amplified an already heated debate in France over the treatment of political figures advocating for Palestine. 

The story has circulated internationally, with critics questioning whether France — long seen as a champion of human rights — is applying disproportionate judicial pressure to suppress political speech in support of the Palestinian cause.

According to human rights experts, the scale of the surveillance — involving mobile phone tracking, rail travel records, European police cooperation, and airline data, all deployed over a single social media post — represents a dangerous precedent for the treatment of elected officials who dissent from the political mainstream. 

The case is expected to proceed to trial, where the proportionality of the investigative methods will likely become a central point of contention.