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The Noguchi Museum in New York City said it has fired three employees after they violated its updated dress code by wearing the keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
In protests around the world demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, demonstrators are wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. Supporters of Israel say it is provocative and a sign of support for extremism.
The ongoing Israeli military assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands and created a humanitarian crisis, and was preceded by a deadly attack by Hamas militants on October 7.
The museum, founded by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, last month announced a policy banning employees from wearing anything that expresses “political messages, slogans or symbols.”
“While we recognize that the intention behind wearing the keffiyeh is to express personal views, we also recognize that such expressions can unintentionally alienate segments of our diverse visitors,” he said in a statement.
Natalie Cappellini, one of the three employees who were fired, took to Instagram to say that the museum’s leadership was using the term “political” as a weapon against the Palestinian cause.
Reuters was unable to reach other dismissed employees.
The keffiyeh has always been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, embodied by the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, who was rarely photographed without it.
In November, three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont were shot and wounded in an ongoing attack. Two of them were wearing keffiyehs.
There are previous cases in the United States where people lost their jobs because of their position on the war between Israel and Gaza.
A New York City hospital fired a Palestinian-American nurse in May after she described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” during an award acceptance speech.
Israel denies the genocide charges brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
