MP wearing keffiyeh asked to leave parliamentary session

Sarah Jama, a member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament in Canada, was asked to leave a parliamentary session due to the keffiyeh she wore in solidarity with Palestine, and was also barred from participating in committee work.

According to reports in local media, Ontario Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Ted Arnott asked the MP, Sarah Jama, who was wearing a keffiyeh, to leave the parliament.

However, Jama refused to leave the chamber.

Following this, Arnott stated that Jama would not be allowed to vote on any matters or participate in committee proceedings.

When asked by reporters why he did not have Jama physically removed from the chamber, Arnott replied, "The only way to do that would have been to physically remove her, and I was not prepared to do that."

REACTION TO ARNOTT

In a statement issued by the National Council of Canadian Muslims, Arnott's actions toward Jama were condemned.

The statement described the day as a shameful one in Ontario's history, stating, "This is anti-Palestinian racism. The keffiyeh is a symbol of Palestinian cultural identity. The ban should be lifted by Ontario Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Ted Arnott."

New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles also stated that she found the action taken against Jama shocking and was appalled.

The wearing of keffiyehs was banned in the Ontario Legislative Assembly on April 18. Speaker Arnott had argued that wearing a keffiyeh was an overt political statement and that it violated rules prohibiting the wearing of clothing with political messages in the chamber.

New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles had requested the lifting of the keffiyeh ban on April 18 and 23. However, those attempts failed as they did not secure sufficient support.

Four political parties in the province, including the party of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, had requested that the keffiyeh ban be lifted.