France – Waving of Palestinian flag in Assembly: MP excluded for 15 days

Sebastien Delogu was suspended from the French parliament for two weeks on Tuesday after he held up a Palestinian flag during a heated debate over whether France should recognise Palestinian statehood.

Sebastien Delogu, a politician for the left France Unbowed (LFI) party from the southern city of Marseille, stood up with the flag during questions to the government.

Parliament speaker Yael Braun-Pivet condemned his actions as unacceptable behaviour, and politicians voted to suspend him for two weeks and cut his parliamentary allowance by half for two months.

Delogu left the lower chamber making a V-sign for victory, as right-wing and centrist politicians inside applauded the sanctions against him.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon reacted on X, calling the punishment a “decoration for the rebellious Delogu” and a shame for those who voted for it. Alexis Corbière and Cyrielle Chatelain condemned the sanction as unfair and disproportionate, accusing the RN of having influenced this decision.

RN deputy Laurent Jacobelli accused LFI deputies of disregarding the rules of the National Assembly and of not respecting the Republic.

Olivier Faure, leader of the PS, condemned the suspension of the session and the office meeting for “a flag”, highlighting the importance of the events in Rafah.

Gabriel Attal, during a speech, deplored the “heartbreaking and distressing spectacle” in the Assembly, criticizing both the socialists and the rebels.

At the same time, a verbal dispute between the deputy LR Meyer Habib and the rebellious David Guiraud broke out in the Salle des Quatre Colonnes, leading Habib to announce his intention to file a complaint for alleged anti-Semitic remarks.

Sébastien Delogu becomes the third deputy excluded for 15 days since the beginning of the legislature in June 2022. This sanction comes after those imposed on Grégoire de Fournas and Thomas Portes. Delogu, defending his gesture, expressed that waving the Palestinian flag was his way of “raising visibility to the Palestinian cause” and protesting the violence in Gaza.