Keffiyeh-waving protesters banned from Ontario legislature
Four protesters who unfurled keffiyehs inside Ontario's legislature and were subsequently kicked out have been banned from Queen's Park.
Mariam Bebawy said she and three friends from York Centre 4 Palestine were given trespass notices last week from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's sergeant-at-arms after they held out their keffiyehs and began chanting "free free Palestine" during question period.
Bebawy's notice said she is prohibited from entering the premises of the main legislative building and a government building nearby.
"I don't think it's fair at all," Bebawy told The Canadian Press. "It's pretty racist, honestly."
A keffiyeh is a checkered scarf typically worn in Arab cultures that has come to symbolize, in part, solidarity with Palestinians.
Speaker Ted Arnott banned keffiyehs at the legislature earlier this year, saying they are being worn to make a political statement. All four party leaders, including Premier Doug Ford, have asked for the ban to be overturned.
Neither Arnott's office nor sergeant-at-arms Tim McGough responded to several requests for comment.
Last Tuesday, NDP Leader Marit Stiles filed a motion seeking unanimous consent of the house to overturn the keffiyeh ban. It failed after at least one Progressive Conservative legislator objected. It was Stiles' second attempt to reverse the ban.
Sarah Jama, who sits as an independent after being kicked out of the NDP caucus last year, took out a keffiyeh and draped it over her shoulders during that time. No one seemed to notice and she wore it until the end of question period.
MPP Sarah Jama is seen in the Ontario Legislature on April 25, 2024 after she was asked to leave the chamber by House Speaker Ted Arnott. (CTV News Toronto/Siobhan Morris)
Around the same time, Bebawy and her friends sitting in the public gallery took out their keffiyehs and began shouting various chants, including "you can't cancel us."
Legislative security acted quickly and escorted the four out of the building without incident.
Two days later, Jama donned the keffiyeh again during question period and was ordered out of the chamber by the Speaker. She refused to leave and remained in the chamber. Arnott later said he was not prepared to use physical force to remove Jama.
Jama has said the ban is racist and has vowed to continue wearing the keffiyeh inside the chamber.
Bebawy said she and her friends offered little resistance other than refusing to take off their keffiyehs as security marched them through the building to the door.
"The supervisor was saying that 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 in the chamber lasted about a minute before they left in silence.
Bebawy said they were at first cautioned by security to never do that again, but minutes later that was upgraded to a written trespass notice.
There is one exception to the notice: if they have a confirmed appointment with a Member of Provincial Parliament they will be escorted to and from that meeting at Queen's Park.
"Any contravention of this order may result in you being arrested and charged under the Trespass to Property Act," the sergeant-at-arms wrote.
Bebawy said security told her she can reach out to the Speaker after a year to try to get the ban rescinded.
Last year, several members of Neskantaga First Nation were kicked out of the legislature for yelling down at Ford during question period over his plans to mine the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario.
Chief Chris Moonias was kicked out of the chamber, but was not given a trespass notice and he has returned to Queen's Park several times since. A few others from Neskantaga were given warnings from the sergeant-at-arms that said their disruptions were considered demonstrations and therefore prohibited.
"Should you engage in this behaviour in the future you may be arrested under the Ontario Trespass to Property Act and/or banned from the Ontario Legislature by order of the Speaker," wrote Jacquelyn Gordon, the previous sergeant-at-arms.
Politicians are not at Queen's Park this week but the legislature resumes sitting Monday. Stiles has said she and "the community" will defy the keffiyeh ban if it is not reversed by then.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.