Overview

• The Université libre de Bruxelles confirmed on Thursday that the law and criminology promotion will carry Rima Hassan’s name, with the faculty council saying it was respecting the students’ decision.
• Master 2 students selected Hassan in a July vote, which the dean, Pierre Klein, described as a considered and democratic process that the council would traditionally just record.
• The move drew sharp criticism from Belgian political figures such as Georges‑Louis Bouchez and from dozens of French personalities who warned the choice would stain the university’s reputation.
• Student representatives defended the selection as a courageous stand tied to international law and reported waves of insults and threats on social media from right and far‑right accounts.
• Hassan, a 33‑year‑old LFI MEP under a French investigation for alleged apologie du terrorisme and expelled from Israel in June after attempting to reach Gaza by boat, said she felt honored by the decision.