Vote to allow keffiyeh in Ontario Legislature fails for 2nd time

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Politicians in the Canadian province of Ontario voted Tuesday against the reversal of a ban on the Keffiyeh in the legislature for a second time.

The introduction to the vote was held up for 15 minutes as visitors in the Legislative Assembly began shouting and had to be removed.

The ban was instituted last week by Speaker of the House Ted Arnott who said the white-and-black checkered scarf that has become a symbol of Palestine solidarity was being worn as a “political statement” and implied support for Palestinians in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

Immediately after the ban was announced Thursday to lawmakers, a motion to reverse was introduced by New Democrat Party Leader Marit Stiles but it failed to gain the necessary unanimous vote and the ban remained in effect.

Stiles re-introduced the motion Tuesday but despite support by Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie and the government's Progressive Conservative Party Premier Doug Ford, it failed to pass.

Before the vote, Stiles refuted the idea that the keffiyeh was a deliberate political statement.

“Lots of things take on political meaning at various moments, but cultural attire that connects to your heritage … it’s a symbol of pride,” she said, reported Global News.

Ford supported the removal of the ban last week because he said it “needlessly divides” people.

Just before the vote, the premier’s office issued a directive that members of Ford’s governing Conservative Party were released from supporting his position to remove the ban and were free to vote how they wished.

“The premier has been clear that he does not support this ban and has called on the speaker to reverse his decision,” Ford’s office said in a statement, Global News reported. “Members of caucus are free to support or oppose the NDP motion.”

A number of the Conservative lawmakers could be heard uttering “No” during the verbal vote, thus failing to remove the ban, Global News reported.