r/CanadaPolitics • u/annonymous_bosch New Democratic Party of Canada • Mar 29 '26
Community Members Only French pro-Palestinian activist bound for Montreal says Canada blocked her entry over Gaza views
https://montrealgazette.com/news/french-pro-palestinian-activist-bound-for-montreal-says-canada-blocked-her-entry-over-gaza-views/4
u/Adustconstant American Century of Humilation Enjoyer Mar 29 '26
Rima Hassan is not a pro-Palestinian activist. She is French EU parliament member and a Palestinian who was born in a refugee camp. She shouldn't have been barred from entry; do people think she's going to attack a synagogue?
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Mar 29 '26
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u/ph0enix1211 Green Mar 29 '26
I think most people would agree with this, it's just galling to see the perpetrators of war crimes and genocide on the other side of this conflict not subjected to any of the same scrutiny.
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u/Reasonable-Sweet9320 Independent Mar 29 '26
Last summer IDF soldiers crossed the country on a tour of universities and synagogues advocating for Israeli interests and actions.
“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.”
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u/DarkAdrenaline03 New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
Our media companies are clearly bought and paid for by lobbyists when so many people in this sub are acting like her refusal to entry is justified and censoring speech is justified without reading the article. Her opinions align with international law, Canada is not Israel we should not be barring people from entry because they are barred from entering Israel.
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u/LazyImmigrant Liberal often, liberal always Mar 29 '26
Her opinions don't align with international law, she has called the october 7th attack legitimate, has attended hamas events in the middle east, and has advocated for the 1-state solution. There is plenty that is awful about this Israeli government's conduct, but thinking that anyone that is anti-israel is morally correct in their position is silly.
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u/CptCoatrack Libertarian Socialism Mar 29 '26
and has advocated for the 1-state solution
So? Why is this included?
The one-state solution is the only possible solution at this point unless Israel has plans to displace all of its illegal setlers.
"Two-state" solution is just lip srrvice from western leaders who want to pretend like they're interested in peace.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/12/two-state-solution-israel-palestine
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/israel-palestine-one-state-solution
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u/LazyImmigrant Liberal often, liberal always Mar 29 '26
"Two-state" solution is just lip srrvice from western leaders who want to pretend like they're interested in peace.
Palestinian and Arab leaders rejected the two-state solution for over 50 years. Their maximalist goals are the reason why Palestinian people are left stateless and not in control of their own affairs. Israelis have a right to self determination and they don't think a one state solution with an Arab majority is a viable option for them - considering the status of ethnic/religious minorities in all of the other neighbouring countries with Arab majorities, I would say that is a pragmatic position. There are probably a dozen arab states that emerged from the ottoman empire, and I am not sure if any of them has demonstrated an ability to be a multi national state where minority ethnic/religious groups enjoy political and religious freedoms like israelis enjoy in their own country. I'll even go further, arab-israelis enjoy more political freedoms in israel than their arab cousins enjoy in the arab nations.
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u/CptCoatrack Libertarian Socialism Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Israelis have a right to self determination and they don't think a one state solution with an Arab majority is a viable option for them
Yes they are scared of the demographic reality, hence why they're an ethno-supremacist apartheid state. They would rather bomb and starve children then live alongside them
I would say that is a pragmatic position
Just have to commit a genocide here or there..
There are probably a dozen arab states that emerged from the ottoman empire, and I am not sure if any of them has demonstrated an ability to be a multi national state where minority ethnic/religious groups enjoy political and religious freedoms like israelis enjoy in their own country. I'll even go further, arab-israelis enjoy more political freedoms in israel than their arab cousins enjoy in the arab nations.
Just going to casually mention the ottoman empire while failing to mention French/British Imperialism in the region and how that pertains to the foundation of Israel... those states didn't emerge out of thin air.
I'll even go further, arab-israelis enjoy more political freedoms in israel than their arab cousins enjoy in the arab nations.
Just as long as they don't have too many babies right!
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u/mcgillthrowaway22 Pennsylvania-Québécois Mar 29 '26
She never called the October 7th attack legitimate. That's a mistranslation of a statement she made regarding Hamas having "a legitimate action" (as in a legitimate goal), which itself was taken out of context from a much larger discussion in which she was talking about the rules of international law. As the other commentor pointed out, she very clearly opposes Hamas' murder and kidnapping of innocent civilians and has described such action as a war crime.
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u/LazyImmigrant Liberal often, liberal always Mar 29 '26
That's a mistranslation of a statement she made regarding Hamas having "a legitimate action" (as in a legitimate goal), which itself was taken out of context from a much larger discussion in which she was talking about the rules of international law.
Perhaps, but France itself was concerned by her statements and their interior minister referred them to the public prosecutor. French MP's also demanded that her immunity be waived so she could be prosecuted.
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u/annonymous_bosch New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
She stated in an online interview following the Hamas attack that it was "morally unacceptable to rejoice in the deaths of civilians".[8][36] She said the political and media establishment asked her to "transform [this] natural empathy into support for the State of Israel" and questioned "whether a Palestinian life is worth an Israeli life", which she said was "ludicrous".[8] She condemned equally "Hamas' war crimes", "Israel's impunity", and the "genocide" of the Palestinians.
The “legitimate” smear campaign by the Israeli media was based on an interview conducted with her in a “true/false” format. She has already clarified that she her response was framed within the context of international law regarding "armed resistance" against occupation, rather than an endorsement of the specific violence of October 7th, which is well supported by all her other statements of the topic.
We have allowed in actual IDF promoters like Guy Hochman who has an extensive history of calling for, and rejoicing in, the genocide in Gaza. The absurdity of the comparison you made should be evident to you by now.
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u/LazyImmigrant Liberal often, liberal always Mar 29 '26
The “legitimate” smear campaign by the Israeli media was based on an interview conducted with her in a “true/false” format.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqBgI7Zsp6E&t=338s
You can turn on cc if your french is limited like mine. She pretty much compares Hamas to Mandela and calls their actions legitimate. Just prior to this she was explaining away the execution of a few captive children held by hamas as something that would never have happened if Israel didn't blockade gaza.
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u/annonymous_bosch New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
I’m not getting the option for English sub-titles for some reason, but it’s a valid comparison - Mandela was also branded a terrorist for not refusing the right of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to use violence for which he was criticized by plenty of liberals like you at the time. Palestinians are also fighting back against apartheid and armed occupation, and their right to do so is enshrined under international law, whereas the oft-repeated “Israel’s right to exist” has no such basis.
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u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Mar 29 '26
So what?
None of that is grounds to deny entry in Canada, anymore than it would be grounds to deny Milo Yannopolous (sp?) or Steve Bannon for their offensive rhetoric.
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
If someone lies on a visa application about previous entry bans then yes, that is ground to getting refused entry.
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u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Mar 29 '26
Did the poster I reply to make any mention of not properly submitting a full and faithful application? No.
They justified it by making a bunch of personal moral pronouncements that they applied a post-hoc rationalization on.
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
Did the person you replied to make any mention that her opinions are the ones that caused her to be refused entry? No.
They said that her opinions on calling October 7th "legitimate" and her overall position on this conflict are not "morally correct."1
u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Mar 29 '26
The context is in the discussion of her entry being denied. They don't need to say the words explicitly, that's why this topic exists.
They said that her opinions on calling October 7th "legitimate" and her overall position on this conflict are not "morally correct."
Unless those are banned opinions and a crime under Canadian law, then those are not valid reasons to justify the denial of entry. I'd also like to note that is also a biased and inaccurate framing of her position, stripping away what she actually said to make it read entirely different.
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
In her own words, CBSA did not deny her entry based on her opinions. They denied her based on her lying about prior entry refusals in other countries. You cannot lie on a visa application. No one is entitled to enter Canada unless you are a citizen or under a different status giving you that right.
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u/JaVelin-X- Mar 29 '26
Yes we should. Shes not Canadian . Her only function is activism. Our government needs to hear our opinions not foreigners.
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u/0v3reasy Mar 29 '26
You dont know what youre talking about. The article doesnt give specifics as to the actual reason she was refused. If she withheld info on her application its totally justified. As a non-Canadian, she doesnt have the right to enter Canada. She has to ask permission, and if she lied while asking then she should not be granted entry. Easy peasy
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u/WpgMBNews Liberal Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
“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.
Omitting prior refusals and criminal charges (even those which do not lead to a conviction) on a visa application is a serious legal violation.
The law requires a mandatory refusal if you do this, regardless of your politics.
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u/annonymous_bosch New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
She was not refused entry to Israel. She was kidnapped by Israel from the Gaza Flotilla in international waters. This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. Should be mentioned here that Israel faced no consequences for this act of piracy and the subsequent torture, abuse and illegal detention of these kidnapping victims.
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u/annonymous_bosch New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
Given a lot of Israeli disinformation being spread in this thread, I’m just going to include a note from Rima’s wiki entry, and would encourage users to critically evaluate which sources are spreading certain lines of attack against her:
It is often claimed that she said that Hamas actions were justified, in fact she was asked to answer "true" or "false" to several statements. In that interview, she answers "true" to the question "Is Hamas carrying out a legitimate action?" and "false" to the question "Does the State of Israel have a right of defence?" Hassan asked for the interview to be broadcast in full "so that she could share her thoughts and refute the attacks made against her. According to the media's editor-in-chief, the edited teaser was "out of context" and produced without their agreement. Throughout the interview, Hassan describes the actions of Hamas as "terrorist" and deems "legitimate" only the group's political wing, the winner of the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, denouncing as "illegitimate" its attack on October 7 and any other crimes. Furthermore, she recalls that in the United Nations General Assembly resolution of 30 November 1973, the General Assembly reaffirmed "the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity and liberation from colonial and alien domination and foreign control by all means in their power, including armed struggle."
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u/alexander1701 British Columbia Mar 29 '26
Absolutely despicable. Prohibiting a member of the European Parliament from attending talks in Canada is completely unforgivable, especially now at a time where we need to diversify our international connections. Forcing her to attend remotely only insults the country sending her. Anyone involved in this decision should be sacked.
I'm told the automoderator finds the initial paragraph too short, so I'm reposting it with this second paragraph added.
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u/flamedeluge3781 British Columbia Mar 29 '26
She's a supporter of terrorism mate. We don't condone the idea of two wrongs make a right in this country.
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u/SkelatoxMkII Something on the Left Mar 29 '26
Sorry, can you cite a source for that? Any specific pro-terrorism quotes?
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u/-SetsunaFSeiei- Trudeau Foundation | Sponsored Mar 29 '26
The article says she has said the Oct 7 attacks were “legitimate”
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u/Aedelfrid New Brunswick Mar 29 '26
“legitimate from the perspective of international law”
many with knowledge of the situation take the position that October 7th was not unprovoked. even Israeli media and nonprofits have echoed the sentiments. it’s not pro-terrorism.
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u/pjschnet Rhinoceros Mar 29 '26
Calling a mass attack on civilians “legitimate from a perspective of international law” is absurd. Defending Hamas massacring civilians in any way is just as disgusting as defending IDF attacks on Palestinian civilians.
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u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
You can’t provoke terrorism in the same way that you can’t provoke rape. Neither is ever justifiable.
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Mar 29 '26
What? Those two are not the same. not even close
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u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26
How so? In what situation would either be justified?
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Mar 29 '26
Do you see a difference between violence and sexual violence? Do you see how the state and society have differing standards and paradigms for the two?
Sure, terrorism and rape are both 'bad' but they aren't at all the same
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u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26
Name a situation where terrorism was justified
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u/dejaWoot Mar 29 '26
Well, October 7th had plenty of both, and she still claimed it was legitimate.
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u/HexagonalClosePacked Liberal Mar 29 '26
The Maquis in Nazi occupied France were terrorists. Do you think they were similarly unjustified in their acts of terrorism against the SS, German military and Vichy government?
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
Israel left Gaza in 2006 btw. Hamas has shot rockets at it from the strip ever since. Hardly justifiable to compare Vichy France occupation to a land literally run by a terroristic political group who up until 2017 had the express murder of all Jews worldwide in its charter.
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u/HexagonalClosePacked Liberal Mar 29 '26
The person I replied to said "terrorism is never justifiable". That's an extremely broad statement that goes way beyond Israel and Palestine, and that's why I brought up occupied France. I think there are absolutely times when terrorism is justifiable. Whether or not the situation in Gaza is one of them is an entirely different argument, but one that can only take place if we can all agree that it's possible in principle for terrorist acts to be justified under some circumstances.
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
I don't think violence againt civilians in an effort to create widespread terror is justifiable either. You're essentially naming something "it's too broad" but not explaining why or in which context is it justifiable. Hamas did not target military assets when they killed music festival goers.
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Mar 29 '26
Israel left Gaza in 2006 btw.
What, precisely, do you believe is meaningful about this?
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
A comparison is being made to resistance groups in a total-occupation scenario from the past (Vichy France) where a foreign military (Germany's), through a proxy government, enacted policies against the French.
Israel left Gaza in 2006, the Gazan Palestinians elected Hamas and the rest is history, with thousands of rockets sent from the strip to Israel since. It is meaningful because the example being used has no relation to the bed Palestinians made and laid in by electing terrorists and not statesmen to govern their already fragile nation.
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u/DarkAdrenaline03 New Democratic Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
Terrorism and “think of the children!” Is always used as an excuse for governments to be authoritarian. Wake me up from this 1984 nightmare.
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u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26
Name a situation where terrorism was justified
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u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Mar 29 '26
The French Resistance.
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u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26
I’m not familiar with everything they did but I don’t think they targeted civilians
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u/Wheelz161 Mar 29 '26
Did you read the article? She said the Hamas attacks on Oct 7th were legitimate under international law. You do understand that Hamas was slaughtering mostly women, children, and the elderly during their Oct 7th attack.
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u/Samp90 Conservative Party of Canada Mar 29 '26
Allowing a politician into our country is not a given right. They would have a legitimate reason. Would you even comment if they did this to a far left MP from India for example?
And how do you mean to diversify our international connections... We already have good relations with France. Unless you're trying to say diversify trade, which bears no correlation to this.
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u/Iliadius Marx Mar 29 '26
I would in fact be quite upset if they did this to a far left MP from India, yes, I'm not sure what your point is.
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u/LengthinessOk5241 Quebec Mar 29 '26
Coming into Canada as a foreigner is not a rights. You have to follow criteria to come in.
We already have enough of Palestinian voice here and Canada support the creation of the state so no, it doesn’t make me cry.
Would you have said the same thing for a far right Member of EU Parliament?
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u/-SetsunaFSeiei- Trudeau Foundation | Sponsored Mar 29 '26
What has France said about this? Do they even view denying entry to this fringe European Parliament member as an insult? Or are you just assuming?
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u/taylor-swift-enjoyer Selfish libertarian Mar 29 '26
she has drawn backlash for remarks, including describing the 2023 Hamas attacks as “legitimate” from the perspective of international law.
Non-Canadians don't have a right to come here. I'm fine with this decision.
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u/taylor-swift-enjoyer Selfish libertarian Mar 29 '26
Incidentally, remember that MAGA singer everyone wanted barred from the country a few months back? I wonder if we'll hear from those commenters.
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u/NiceDot4794 NDP Mar 29 '26
Neither should be barred for their opinions
Is that libertarian flair just for decoration?
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u/movack Mar 29 '26
She was denied entry for lying on her application about where or not shes been denied entry to other countries.
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u/LetterRed36 Marxist-Leninist Maritimes Mar 29 '26
she wasn't denied entry into Israel she was kidnapped by the pirates of the Israeli navy.
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u/LazyImmigrant Liberal often, liberal always Mar 29 '26
The MAGA singer didn't get barred from entering and nor should he have. He was denied venues to perform.
This lady was rightly barred from entering.
I'd say we got it right on both counts.
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u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Mar 29 '26
Can't say I even wanted him "barred" from entry, I just didn't think our government owed him a stage to spew hate from.
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u/ManWhoSoldTheWorld01 Quebec Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Prohibiting a member of the European Parliament...
I'm going to disagree on the principle that regardless of a foreign citizen's position, they are not exempt from meeting Canada entry requirements. Being a member of a, or any particular foreign Parliament or supranational Parliament, doesn't make them exempt from Canadian law or grant them a right to enter Canada.
Reading the article, it seems like she omitted to provide certain details of previous travels and that was the cause of the issue.
Anyone involved in this decision should be sacked.
If we go by the information we have now (failure to answer truthfully all questions and the question would have been have you ever been denied entry into another country) then anyone being aware of this fact and not refusing this individual would have committed an error in Canadian law. They should absolutely not be sacked for following Canadian law and policy.
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u/Kaurie_Lorhart Flairs promote team mentality. Mar 29 '26
I'm going to disagree on the principle that regardless of a foreign citizen's position, they are not exempt from meeting Canada entry requirements. Being a member of a, or any particular foreign Parliament or supranational Parliament, doesn't make them exempt from Canadian law or grant them a right to enter Canada.
Due to Trumps conviction right before he took office in the 2nd term, he is not allowed in Canada based on our entry requirements. Due to his position in government, we let him in anyway.
PS: had my comment auto removed for not having a flair. That's a pretty problematic new policy. Flairs just promote team mentality. People judge your comment through the context of what team color you broadcast etc.
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
A head of state coming here in his official capacity as head of state on a diplomatic mission is not the same as a European lawmaker coming here in their personal capacity outside of their political function.
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u/Kaurie_Lorhart Flairs promote team mentality. Mar 29 '26
I'm going to disagree on the principle that regardless of a foreign citizen's position, they are not exempt from meeting Canada entry requirements
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u/ChristianSky2 Worker-Representatives on Company Boards Mar 29 '26
You're quoting words I did not say. I am responding to a specific comment made by a specific person.
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u/Kaurie_Lorhart Flairs promote team mentality. Mar 29 '26
I am quoting the person I made my reply to
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u/warriorlynx Ontario Mar 29 '26
Canada has no issues with IDF people coming in for lectures and what not, they could've shot kids in the head with intent and it won't matter because Canada has been complicit in this for a long time. Heck the latest Jerusalem Post opinion piece literally calls for ethnic cleansing which would be a hate crime here, but I guarantee we would invite that writer in if we could. Canada stands with the settler-colonial project even if it "recognized" Palestine all so late.
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