When
Where
Why
Speakers include:
Wasim El-Haj - teacher from Palestinian background facing discrimination for wearing a keffiyeh
Rally Chair - Gabrielle Maait from Teachers & School Staff for Palestine
more tba
Anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim racism continues to be a feature of NSW schools. One visible expression of this is the suppression of wearing the keffiyeh, the Palestinian scarf.
A student at Condell Park High school was told he could not attend his year 12 formal, because he had worn a keffiyeh at graduation. Other students were allowed to wear expressions of their cultural heritage.
The Australian National Imams’ Council has reported “A Year 6 student was repeatedly instructed to remove a sweatband featuring the colours of the Palestinian flag, and was threatened with removal from the school athletics carnival if she refused to comply.”
This sort of racially discriminatory behaviour is known to cause harm to children, as reported by the Australian Human Rights Commission. It is unacceptable for the NSW Department of Education to engage in this conduct.
Teacher from a Palestinian background Wasim El Haj is the latest victim of discrimination. In 2023, he was asked to wear his keffiyeh to one of the school’s days celebrating multiculturalism.
In 2024 He wore his keffiyeh for four months without incident, but in May 2024 he was told he could no longer wear his keffiyeh at work, and that he would face disciplinary action unless he complied. Since then The Australian National Imams’ Council has reported he "faced months of repeated racial discrimination, harassment and bullying by senior officers from the NSW Department of education." You can read his story here https://everythingisfine.beehiiv.com/.../sydney-high...?
This has to end. NSW Education Department authorities have implied the keffiyeh can make Jewish people feel unsafe, but the keffiyeh is worn as part of Palestinian culture. It is not directed against Jewish people. Many Jewish people, Christians and people of other faiths wear keffiyeh.
The Minns Labor government is responsible for this discrimination, as a way of smearing the movement for Palestinian human rights, and as a distraction from their political defence of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Palestinians, supporters of Palestinian human rights, and anti-racists will not be silenced. Join us at the rally on Feb 18 outside the NSW Education Department in Parramatta. Wear a keffiyeh and oppose racism.