Victoria state parliament bans keffiyeh scarves

Green party MP Gabrielle de Vietri was asked to remove her keffiyeh scarf - a symbol of Palestinian nationalism

The Australian state of Victoria has ruled that MPs cannot wear keffiyeh scarves - a symbol of Palestinian identity - in parliament.

Green Party leaders asked for clarification after MPs for the party were asked to remove their keffiyehs.

In a joint ruling, both houses of the Parliament of Victoria said the scarf was a "political" symbol which MPs were not permitted to wear.

The ruling makes the Victorian legislature one of the few in the world to enforce a ban on the item of clothing.

On Wednesday, upper house president Shaun Leane asked four Green Party MPs who had been wearing keffiyehs to remove them.

Green Party leader Ellen Sandell sought to clarify whether the ruling was a one-off or a permanent ban.

In response, lower house speaker Maree Edwards said: “Political paraphernalia and badges are not allowed in the house. My ruling stands.”

But Mrs Sandell argued that MPs often wore items of clothing to show support for various causes, "all of which could arguably be seen as political".

“An MP today is wearing a yellow pin, which could be perceived by some as support for the Israeli military. Others are wearing rainbow badges," she added.

The speaker declined to comment and said further clarification could be sought from her office.

MP David Southwick welcomed the ban, telling a local news outlet that his yellow pin, worn in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza, was "not even a comparison".

Green MPs have taken to social media to protest against the ruling.

Gabrielle de Vietri wrote on X: "On Nakba day, the Victorian Parliament has banned the keffiyeh - one of the only parliaments in the world to do so."

The Nakba, which means "Catastrophe", is commemorated by Palestinians every year on 15 May.

On 14 May 1948, Israel declared independence, and in a war which began the next day, up to 750,000 Palestinians who had lived on that land fled or were expelled from their homes.

Neither they nor their descendants have been allowed by Israel to return.

The keffiyeh comes in several designs and colours, and is thought to have originated among Bedouin Arabs as a head covering to protect from the elements.

The black-and-white keffiyeh became associated with Palestinian identity during the late 1930s.

This year's Nakba day comes as Israel and Hamas are at war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas attacked nearby Israeli communities on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 252 others.

More than 35,230 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.