A heated debate has erupted over the decision by a group of students at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) to name their graduating class after a far-left French MEP.
Naming a graduating class - known as a promotion in French - in honour of an inspirational public figure is a long-held tradition in French-speaking universities.
In previous years, students at ULB’s Faculty of Law and Criminology chose to honour figures such as human rights activist Denis Mukwege and lawyer Gisèle Halimi.
This year, Master 2 students in the law faculty chose to bestow the honour on Rima Hassan, who represents the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party.
Who is Rima Hassan?
Hassan, 33, was elected to the European Parliament last year and is a prominent advocate for the Palestinian cause in France. She was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and moved to France at the age of 10.
Earlier this year, Hassan made headlines after joining the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, a group of activists who set sail from Italy in a boat to try to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Hassan has become known for her radical views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike most mainstream French politicians, she does not support a two-state solution to resolve the conflict, calling instead for a “binational, democratic and secular state”. She has previously used the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea”, which some interpret as a call for the destruction of Israel.
A few weeks after her election as an MEP, Hassan took part in a demonstration in Jordan where participants paid tribute to Hamas leader Ismaël Haniyeh, who had recently been killed in Iran.
Prior to her election, Hassan courted controversy for the language she used to describe the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas against Israel.
She said the attacks were “legitimate from the perspective of international law”, though she later condemned them as “morally unacceptable”.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported Hassan to the public prosecutor on the grounds that her words “amounted to the glorification of terrorism”.
A ‘disastrous’ decision’?
The decision by ULB students to honour Hassan by naming their graduating class after her has triggered a huge debate in Belgium and France.
In June, when it was announced that students had chosen Hassan's name, a letter signed by nearly 1,300 people was sent to the university administration opposing the decision.
The law faculty hastily arranged a second, "more secure" vote, which took place last Friday. Despite the outcry, the students doubled down and reaffirmed their choice, once again selecting the MEP in the second vote.
In response, 50 intellectuals, including lawyer Arno Klarsfeld and former French minister Bernard Kouchner, sent an open letter addressed to the rector of the ULB and the dean of the law faculty condemning the students.
In the letter, which was published in La Libre on Monday, the signatories expressed their “astonishment, if not real incomprehension, both moral and intellectual” over the decision, which they labelled “disastrous”.
The students themselves are unrepentant. In a statement released on social media, the ULB Student Union (BEA) said: “Politicians will not decide for students. This choice, resulting from a democratic process and respecting established rules, reflects the students' commitment to the values of free inquiry and solidarity.”
They called on the university's academic authorities to “support the student community in the face of attacks" so that the ULB "remains a space where students can express their beliefs without fear”.
The Faculty Council will meet later today to adjudicate on the students’ decision.
