Hamilton MPP defies order to remove keffiyeh at Queen’s Park

An Ontario legislator has refused to remove her keffiyeh at Queen’s Park and is subsequently banned from returning to the chamber for the rest of the day.

Speaker Ted Arnott ordered independent member and Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama to leave the chamber, but she refused.

Legislative security did not physically remove her from question period, so she remained.

Arnott says he was not prepared to remove Jama by force.

Jama says the keffiyeh ban is racist and has pledged to continue wearing the scarf.

Arnott banned the keffiyeh after deciding it was being worn to make a political statement, contrary to the rules of the assembly.

A keffiyeh is a checkered scarf typically worn in Arab cultures that has come to symbolize solidarity with Palestinians.

The Canadian Press