French pro-Palestinian activist bound for Montreal says Canada blocked her entry over Gaza views

A high-profile French pro-Palestinian activist and politician says she was denied entry to Canada after her travel authorization was revoked on the eve of her trip.

Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament with the far-left La France Insoumise party, said she had been scheduled to speak at two conferences in Montreal, expected to draw more than 1,600 people, and her authorization to enter the country had initially been approved. Then she was notified by email of a “sudden” review a day before she was due to fly.

The decision, she told her more than one million Instagram followers, was “a worrying obstruction to parliamentary action and to freedom of expression.”

Hassan, who has Palestinian roots, has become a polarizing figure in France. She has condemned Hamas’s war crimes and what she describes as Israel’s impunity, but has drawn backlash for remarks, including describing the 2023 attacks as “legitimate” from the perspective of international law.

“As part of my mandate as a Member of the European Parliament, I was invited to speak in Montreal at two conferences,” she wrote, saying the events would focus on alleged efforts to censor pro-Palestinian voices and on resistance to the rise of the far right.

The Canadian authorities cited omissions related to a prior refusal of entry to Israel and also allegations of criminal conduct, she explained on social media. Hassan noted the allegations were tied to her activism and had not led to convictions.

She said the Israel refusal affected an entire delegation “without valid justification,” and described complaints of “glorification of terrorism” as attempts to silence pro-Palestinian voices.

Hassan also accused the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs of working to block her visit.

“I will, nevertheless, deliver both of my conferences remotely,” she said.

Hassan’s posts have since seen hundreds of thousands of views on various social media platforms.

Québec solidaire MNA Haroun Bouazzi, who had reportedly been due to meet Hassan, along with fellow politician Ruba Ghazal, criticized the decision. He wrote in a Instagram post: “The true culture of cancellation is the one imposed by those in power on those who speak the truth in the face of authority.”

In a statement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the move to bar her visit showed “the importance of vigilance in preventing extremists from abroad from spreading hate and incitement within our borders.”

The organization had earlier criticized her planned visit, accusing her of glorifying “violence, terrorism and antisemitism.”

It had warned her appearance in Montreal would give a platform to views it said were contributing to polarization.

The Canada Border Services Agency did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

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