Controversial pro-Palestine French politician and Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was denied entry to Canada on Friday, she announced on her social media.
Hassan has openly defended Hamas and glorified acts of terrorism in the past. She called Hamas’s October 7 massacre “legitimate” in July 2024. In August, approximately 50 members of France’s National Assembly called on President Macron to lift her parliamentary immunity due to her attendance at a pro-Hamas rally in Amman. She also argued that “any Franco-Palestinian must be able to join the Palestinian armed resistance” so long as it is permissible for other French citizens to join the IDF.
Hassan was set to speak at two conferences in Montreal as part of her role as a member of the European Parliament with the La France Insoumise party. She said her initial request for travel authorization was approved by Canadian authorities, but that on her planned day of departure, she was informed by email that the approval had been overturned.
According to Hassan, the reason for the denial was her failure to mention a prior visa or entry refusal to a country (Israel), as well as her failure to mention a prior criminal offense.
Denied entry into Israel
Hassan was denied entry into Israel in February 2025. She had travelled with a European Parliament delegation and had received prior authorization by Israeli authorities. However, upon arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport, she was refused entry.
In terms of a prior criminal offense, complaints were filed against Hassan for glorification of terrorism, but this did not result in a conviction. She alleged that the complaints were part of an Israel-led campaign aimed at silencing her over her support for the Palestinian cause.
Regarding her Canada entry ban, Hassan said it came as a result of “pro-Israel lobbying organizations” such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which she accused of running a pressure campaign.
She confirmed she will nonetheless deliver her two conferences remotely on Monday and Tuesday evening, “which will give [her] the opportunity to speak out about this attempt at censorship.”
“The revocation of her travel authorization is part of a worrying trend of restricting freedom of expression and movement of political representatives, as well as part of a broader pattern of censorship affecting democratic debate,” said La France Insoumise (LFI) in a statement.
It condemned the decision as a “serious infringement on the exercise of a parliamentary mandate and on freedom of expression.”
CIJA praised the decision to ban Hassan, saying it “underscores the importance of vigilance in preventing extremists from abroad from spreading hate and incitement within our borders.”
B’nai Brith Canada praised the ban too, adding “Canada is not a platform for those who justify terrorism, glorify violence, and deny Jewish history.”
“Concordia University must now explain why it was willing to offer her a platform in the first place,” B’nai Brith added.
The Political Science Student Association of Concordia University, which organized the conference, said it was outraged by the ban and also claimed it had suffered from pressure campaigns and received threats of legal action for hosting a Gaza fundraiser.
The Jerusalem Post reached out to Canadian authorities for comment.