TORONTO — Four protesters who displayed kaffiyehs inside the Ontario legislature were ejected and then banned from Queen’s Park.
Mariam Bebawy said she and three friends from the York Center 4 Palestine group received trespassing notices last week from the Ontario Legislature’s sergeant-at-arms after holding up their keffiyehs and began chanting “Free Palestine” during question period.
The notice received by Ms Bebawy states that she is prohibited from entering the rooms of the main legislative building and a neighboring government building.
“I don’t think it’s fair at all,” she told The Canadian Press. “It’s racist, honestly.”
A keffiyeh is a checkered scarf generally worn in Arab cultures and which newly symbolizes solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Legislative Speaker Ted Arnott banned keffiyehs at Queen’s Park earlier this year, saying they were worn to make a political statement. All four party leaders, including Premier Doug Ford, called for the ban to be overturned.
Neither Mr. Arnott’s office nor Sergeant-at-Arms Tim McGough immediately responded to multiple interview requests.
Last Tuesday, Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Marit Stiles tabled a motion seeking unanimous consent of the House to overturn the keffiyeh ban. It failed after at least one Progressive Conservative MP opposed it. It was Ms Stiles’ second attempt to have the ban overturned.
Sarah Jama, who is sitting as an independent MP after being kicked out of the NDP caucus last year, took out a keffiyeh and put it on her shoulders as she did so. No one seemed to notice it and she wore it until the end of question period.
Around the same time, Mariam Bebawy and her friends sitting in the public gallery took out their kaffiyehs and began shouting various chants, including “you can’t cancel us.”
Security acted quickly and escorted the four people out of the building without incident.
Two days later, Sarah Jama again donned the keffiyeh during question period and the president ordered her to leave the room. She refused to leave and stayed in the room. Ted Arnott later said he was not prepared to use physical force to get her out.
Ms Jama claimed the ban was a racist move and vowed to continue wearing the keffiyeh inside the bedroom.
Mariam Bebawy said she and her friends offered little resistance, other than refusing to remove their keffiyehs, as security marched them through the building to the door.
“The guard said we were resisting, that we weren’t leaving right away and that we wanted to stay inside the gallery, but that wasn’t true,” she said.
The incident lasted about a minute before they left the room in silence.
Ms. Bebawy said security initially warned them never to do this again, but a few minutes later they received a written intrusion notice.
There is one exception: if they have a confirmed appointment with an MPP at Queen’s Park, they will be escorted to the meeting.
“Any violation of this order may result in your arrest and charge under the Trespassing Act,” wrote the sergeant-at-arms.
Mariam Bebawy was told by security that she could contact the president after a year to try to overturn the ban.
The Legislative Assembly will resume its work on Monday. Ms Stiles said she and “the community” would defy the keffiyeh ban if it was not overturned by then.
