New York City museum fires 3 employees for wearing keffiyehs

New York City’s Noguchi Museum said yesterday it fired three employees after they violated its updated dress code by wearing keffiyehs, Reuters reports.

Last month, the art museum – founded by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi – announced a policy prohibiting employees from wearing anything that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols.”

“While we understand that the intention behind wearing this garment was to express personal views, we recognize that such expressions can unintentionally alienate segments of our diverse visitorship,” it said in a statement.

Natalie Cappellini, one of the three gallery attendants who was fired, took to Instagram to say the museum leadership was weaponising the term “political” against the Palestinian cause.

Following the museum’s decision, more than 50 employees sent a petition asking leadership to reverse “their sudden keffiyeh ban”. They said the move “continues a pattern of retaliatory practice against outspoken people of colour at the Museum.” The meeting announcing the decision to ban the keffiyeh, they explained, “ended in tears… [and] an impromptu walk-out of the museum”.

In response, activists have launched the hashtag #PalestineInTheMuseum, which saw people attending the museum in their keffiyehs and taking placards calling for an end to colonialism.

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