NDP to defy ‘unjust rule’ if Premier won’t overturn keffiyeh ban

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The Ontario NDP have vowed to defy the rules of government if the Conservatives keep their ban of the keffiyeh in the legislature.

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MPP Sarah Jama was asked last week to leave the legislature for wearing a keffiyeh – a checkered scarf worn in Arab cultures that have come to symbolize solidarity with Palestinians – but she refused.

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Jama sits as an independent MPP for Hamilton-Centre since being booted from the NDP caucus in 2023 after issuing a statement blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks.

The keffiyeh ban at Queen’s Park was brought by House Speaker Ted Arnott based on a longstanding rule that props and clothing that make a political statement cannot be worn by members in the chamber.

“It’s extremely politically sensitive, obviously, but procedurally I believe I made the right decision in the sense of past rulings of speakers and precedents and traditions,” Arnott said on Thursday. “In my opinion, having done the research, it appeared to me that the keffiyeh is being worn to make a political statement.”

Arnott banned the scarf in March after a complaint, saying it was being worn to make a political statement, contrary to the rules of the assembly.

The Speaker stood by his ruling last week, even after Premier Doug Ford and all opposition parties asked him to reverse it.

“It really comes down to uniting Ontarians and communities,” Ford said Thursday. “We see the division right now that’s going on. It’s not healthy, and this will just divide the community even more.”

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Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has posted a video on X saying her party is working to overturn the ban.

“But Doug Ford MPPs keep blocking us, so we decided to give the government until May 6 to reverse this unjust rule or expect us and the community to defy the ban,” she said. “Doug Ford, it is time for you to do the right thing and reverse the keffiyeh ban.”

“And it is time for us to come together as one community and fight anti-Palestinian racism hate and division,” Stiles added.

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The Ontario Federation of Labour also wants the ban reversed.

“The ban is an attack on Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities in Ontario. No community in our province should be targeted this way,” the OFL said in a statement. “We urge everyone who supports the fundamental freedoms of expression, belief, and religion to join the rally.”

“The ban must be reversed immediately. If Ford won’t end it, we’ll defy it,” the federation added.

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