French hard-left MP suspended for waving Palestinian flag in parliament
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Leftist MP Sebastien Delogu waving a Palestinian flag in France's National Assembly on May 28.
PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - France's lower house of parliament on May 28 suspended a deputy from the hard-left Les Insoumis (LFI) party for 15 days for waving a Palestinian flag in the National Assembly, bringing proceedings to a halt for about an hour.
"This is not tolerable," National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet said, as she suspended the session and excluded deputy Sebastien Delogu whose deputy's pay was also halved for two months.
Mr Delogu waved the flag in support of Palestinians amid a barrage of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The war has polarised public opinion around the world with France's LFI positioning itself as a defender of the Palestinians.
"I waved the Palestinian flag in the National Assembly... because as I speak, France sells weapons, sells parts to supply the Israeli army," Mr Delogu told reporters. "There is a genocide going on there."
The incident took place as junior trade minister Franck Riester was answering a question about the situation in Gaza, where Israel's offensive against Hamas militants has stirred global condemnation for the high civilian toll. REUTERS
Mr Delogu speaking to the media after being excluded from France’s National Assembly for waving the Palestinian flag.