Pro-Palestinian French MEP Blocked from Entering Canada

(MENAFN) Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament with Palestinian roots, reported late Saturday that she was barred from entering Canada just hours before her scheduled flight.

“I was prevented from traveling to Canada: a troubling obstruction to parliamentary work and freedom of expression,” Hassan wrote on X.

Hassan is associated with France’s left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI). The party explained that she had been invited to speak at two conferences in Montreal and that her electronic travel authorization had initially been approved by Canadian authorities.

However, according to the party, Hassan received an email late Friday—the day before her departure—informing her that her travel authorization was under review. Canadian authorities requested extensive personal documents mere hours before her flight to reassess her entry, which Hassan described as a “disproportionate request” unrelated to the stated reasons.

LFI stated that the review cited an alleged failure to disclose a previous visa refusal or denial of entry to another country, along with an alleged omission regarding a criminal offense, arrest, formal investigation, or conviction. The party noted that these matters were “directly linked to her political engagement in support of the Palestinian people.”

The party added that the concerns appeared connected to a 2025 incident when Hassan was denied entry to Israel as part of an EU delegation, as well as past complaints related to “apology for terrorism” that did not lead to any charges.

LFI also claimed that pro-Israel lobbying groups had recently attempted to block Hassan’s visit to Canada.

“The revocation of her travel authorization is part of a concerning trend of restricting the freedom of expression and movement of political representatives, as well as part of a broader pattern of censorship targeting democratic debate,” the party said.

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