Apology following dispute during school's culture day falls short, say protesters

Dozens gathered outside the Department of Education building on Brunswick Street in Halifax on Monday to protest what they call anti-Palestinian racism at a local school.

Family members of students at Park West School and local advocacy groups say some students were told they couldn't wear a traditional Palestinian scarf, called a keffiyeh, during the school's culture day last week.

The school principal and the Halifax Regional Centre for Education acknowledged there was an "incident" at the school, but have denied there is a ban on the keffiyeh. 

Abdullah Aboalkhair said his 13-year-old brother, a Grade 9 student at the school, and his friends wore the keffiyeh that day, but took it off when he heard that students were getting suspended. He said no one at the school spoke to his brother about it.

"We're not here to fight," he said. " We're here to show people what the kaffiyeh is... We're here to educate people and let them know what it is."

According to Maha Nassar, associate professor of modern Middle East history and Islamic Studies at the University of  Arizona, the keffiyeh is a central symbol of Palestinian culture.

"For Palestinians, the keffiyah represents a number of things. It represents Palestinian ties to their land. It's a garment that historically has been worn by peasants, by people working the land to cover their hair from the hot sun and cover their heads and back," said Nassar. 

"So it's a symbol of that sort of historical attachment and current attachment to the land. The pattern itself, the fishnet pattern and the waves also symbolize Palestinians ties to the sea."

She said it also became a symbol of resistance to British colonialism in the 1930s.

In a message on Friday, the school's principal Benedette Anyanwu apologized for the distress caused to students, family and the wider community.

On Saturday, Steve Gallagher, HRCE's acting regional executive director said the HRCE was deeply sorry "for any harm the situation has caused the Palestinian community."

Hadeel Dalloul, a Palestinian and a teacher with the HRCE, said she was at the protest to show support for her community and her family.

Dalloul said Park West has a diverse student population and should be more open to listening and understanding what the keffiyeh and its background means to Palestinians.

Dalloul said she did not consider the principal's apology to be sincere.