U.S. art museum sacks 3 employees for wearing keffiyehs

Three employees of the Noguchi Museum in New York City were sacked last week for wearing keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian identity, a media report said on Wednesday.

A fourth employee, the director of visitor services at the museum, was also fired following the dress code changes, the New York Times reported, without confirming whether he was sacked for wearing a keffiyeh.

In August, the museum announced a policy prohibiting employees from wearing clothing or accessories that display "political messages, slogans, or symbols."

The ban, which does not affect visitors or staff outside of working hours, was implemented after several employees had been wearing keffiyehs to work for months, the report said.

"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," the Noguchi Museum, founded by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, said in a statement.

"Within the museum, our responsibility is to foster a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all staff and visitors," it added.

"To maintain this environment, we have made the decision to remove political statements from our workplace."

Natalie Cappellini, a gallery attendant who began working at the museum in January and was fired over wearing a keffiyeh, raised concerns about the intent behind the museum's policy, the New York Times said.

"I think the word 'political' is being weaponized to censor Palestinian culture and existence," Cappellini was quoted as saying.

"The politicization of the kaffiyeh is imposed by leadership."

The kaffiyeh was "a cultural garment and we are wearing it for cultural reasons," she added.