Last month Paul Murphy TD raised with the Tánaiste that Zionist pressure groups are pushing schools to ban Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and that this campaign had led to two members of staff on one school resigning as they felt harassed. He called on the Minister for Education to issue a circular to schools to make it clear no member of staff should be victimised for wearing a keffiyeh.
Tanaiste Simon Harris responded that “there should always be a very high bar before you interfere in anybody’s clothing” and pledged to “discuss the matter with the Minister for Education”. The Minister has now responded, but failed to comment at all on the campaign to ban keffiyehs or the call for a circular to schools on the matter.
The People Before Profit TD has said the Minister’s response is “failing to protect schools and staff from this campaign of intimidation”.
“We have Zionist activists standing outside school gates waiting to confront staff wearing clothing they deem to be supportive of Palestine. One Special Needs Assistant was told her t-shirt with a watermelon symbol was offensive. Schools are being left to figure out for themselves how to respond to this pressure, and staff are left feeling isolated and harassed. We are losing teachers and SNAs due to this - and yet the Minister is refusing to say anything of substance on the issue. It’s not acceptable, and will only embolden the pressure groups leading to more staff being targetted.”
The two members of staff who resigned from Harcourt Terrace ETNS have spoken out about their treatment (see full statements below). Parents in the school have also expressed disappointment at the situation, and their solidarity with the staff.
Sarah, a Special Needs Assistant says that when she found out there was a group “waiting outside the school” she “I found this so intimidating as I was upset and just wanted to go home. It appeared to me that [the Principal] could not get them to leave, so eventually I just walked out with my head down.”
Aaron, a teacher, says that “Going into work everyday was a challenge, I had to come to terms with the fact that by wearing my keffiyeh that I would receive death stares, written defamatory accusations of antisemitism and sometimes have my picture taken as I collected my class. This was extremely stressful and difficult for me as I went about my normal day as a teacher.”
He also highlights the support he did get from parents, saying “On my last day as a teacher in the school I received such warm compliments from parents along with disappointment about the Boards decision. I was devestated to leave my class and I had many very upset children asking me why I wasn't coming back and crying because they might never see me again.”
Video of June comments: Video of today’s interaction: https://videoparliament.ie/movies/Paul%20Murphy-26-06-25qp.mp4
New statement from the Minister: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XsMWKBzhWGGlxDh6NeifDPv_PbZtJ8xA/view?usp=sharing
Statement from Sarah
It feels strange to talk about personal impact in the context of the ongoing genocide; but it was very difficult. I was so excited to get a job at an Educate Together school and I loved the work, my colleagues and the kids. When I found out a colleague was being targeted by a group of parents for wearing a keffiyeh and was not being supported by the school I found it really shocking. I decided to wear the Palestine t-shirt in solidarity with him (as well as the people of Palestine. Then on February 6th, while I was at work, on yard duty, the principal pulled me aside to tell me a group of parents found my tshirt “offensive”. I found out in a second meeting with the principal that day that the group of parents were waiting outside the school. I found this so intimidating as I was upset and just wanted to go home. It appeared to me that he could not get them to leave, so eventually I just walked out with my head down.
I tried everything I could to resolve the issue using a restorative or collaborative approach, per our school policies, starting on 7 February 2025. I was ignored. I had to ask repeatedly to get anything in writing. In the end I felt I had to raise a formal grievance because the school was not being run in accordance with its policies that are in place to ensure equal treatment of students and staff. I tried to explain to the Principal, that applying the policies to everyone in the school community would ensure equal treatment. Even after I raised a grievance, nothing was done. On 13 June 2025, waiting to collect students in the morning, wearing a keffiyeh, I was approached and questioned by one parent, and shouted at by another, all in front of students, staff, and other parents. Even in the face of this overt intimidation in our workplace, we were not protected or supported at all by the school
In my view, the complaints about us wearing anything that referred to Palestine were bigoted, Islamophobic and contrary to everything I understood Educate Together to stand for. I pursued all the avenues they advised, including contacting the Board [I did this via formal complaint] and Educate Together to raise the issue. I was told that the Board was unanimously behind the Principal in his decision to ask us to stop wearing things that referred to Palestine. In the end I felt I had no option but to resign.
We are not the only people affected by this. Staff leaving affects children and parents as well. Censorship affects the whole school community. We have received a lot of support since this has come to light which makes me really hopeful.
Statement from Aaron
It feels weird to write about this as this shouldn't be the story. Palestine, Gaza, Apartheid, Ethnic cleansing and Genocide are the story. I believe that if you don't speak up against oppression that you are on the side of the oppressor.I have worn a keffiyeh almost every day for the last two years. Since I started in the school in September I wore it into school every morning. When I found out we had Palestinian children in the school I wanted to wear it on the line to show them they were so welcome in our school community. I had multiple kids from Gaza come up to me saying "keffiyeh Hayla" or saying they liked my keffiyeh.
A keffiyeh is a garment that exists all across the Levant/middle east and it's origins come from the Beduoin people. The idea that the keffiyeh could be anti-Semitic is ludicrous and along the same lines as saying that being Palestinian is anti-semetic.This is a blatant attempt to silence people who try to speak out against genocide or even people who are simply showing the existence of Palestine.Going into work everyday was a challenge, I had to come to terms with the fact that by wearing my keffiyeh that I would receive death stares, written defamatory accusations of antisemitism and sometimes have my picture taken as I collected my class.
This was extremely stressful and difficult for me as I went about my normal day as a teacher. Arriving home every day I watch the news about Palestine and witness the atrocities of the ongoing genocide. I reminded myself that whatever I was struggling with was nothing compared to what Palestinians go through every single day under the genocidal regime of Israel.
When I was told the 2nd time that the board had made the decision unanimously for me to remove my keffiyeh I was so upset and questioned the decision saying that it went against the ethos of the school and the values we are trying to instill into our students.
While traveling in Morocco I had my arm tattooed with a map of Palestine from the 1900s. A time in Palestine before the illegal settlements began, before the Nakba of 1948 and before the current genocide when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in harmony. The idea that my tattoo is calling for the annihilation of a group of people is absolutely ludicrous. It is a blatant attempt to get people to stop talking about the genocide and to stop talking about Palestines very existence.I felt extremely let down by the school as the school is supposed to promote ideals such as diversity and human rights. We were told about 'lets talk about Palestine week' by the union in May of this year and our school did nothing. This is in stark contrast to the actions of schools when the invasion of Ukraine started wherein schools expressed total solidarity with Ukraine and had their students making Ukraine flags.
I never told any parents in the school my reasons for leaving as I wanted to be a professional but when they found out anyway some parents had even begun to wear Palestine pins, jerseys and keffiyehs. On my last day as a teacher in the school I received such warm compliments from parents along with disappointment about the Boards decision.
I was devestated to leave my class and I had many very upset children asking me why I wasn't coming back and crying because they might never see me again.Staff leaving doesn't only affect us, in my case I had made such a precious connection with the 28 children in my class and their parents and that because of this struggle I would have to say goodbye and not see them through their future in school.
It also sends the message that anti-Palestinian bigotry is allowed to permeate the school unchecked and that a parent may control what staff members wear and censor those who display any Palestinian symbols. The idea that symbols related to and aligned with Palestine are banned is a form of censorship akin to a dark time of the rise of fascism in Europe. We must never forget that Palestine exists, that it has a beautiful culture and a deep history.