Lega MEP Anna Maria Cisint wrote a letter to Parliament President Roberta Metsola expressing deep concern about developments within the European United Left group (The Left), which includes MEPs Rima Hassan and Ilaria Salis.

Rima Hassan, a France Insoumise MEP, was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria to a family displaced during the Nakba. She is reported to face charges in France for allegedly praising terrorism in a social media post. Cisint adds that “both of them are, again, at the center of legal cases that point to alleged contacts and proximity to extremist and fundamentalist environments.”

In the case of Ilaria Salis, Cisint says further questions arise about suspected irregularities and possible ethical shortcomings involving members of her staff accredited to the European Parliament. She highlights concerns about potential links between the parliamentary group and subversive or extremist organisations, and about connections that cast doubt on the roles of assistants and collaborators.

According to Cisint, “incidents of this kind damage not only the credibility and reputation of the European Parliament in the eyes of citizens, but also expose EU institutions to morally questionable, borderline-illegal dynamics, with consequences for public security. I have therefore asked President Metsola to act to protect the integrity of European institutions and to ensure full compliance with rules, the law and the highest ethical standards.”