The appearance of a European Parliament staff member wearing a keffiyeh—the traditional Palestinian scarf—during a meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has triggered a heated debate within the chamber. Members of the European People’s Party (EPP) criticised the gesture, considering the attire an ideological display inappropriate for an institutional employee.
The incident occurred during a parliamentary committee meeting held last week. Apparently, the staffer was asked to leave the room following protests by Spanish MEP Antonio López-Istúriz White, who stated, “Civil servants are not here to promote ideology,” supported by Bulgarian EPP MEP Andrey Kovatchev. A Parliament spokesman later explained that the meeting was briefly interrupted while “precautionary measures” were taken to allow it to continue without disruption.
The reaction from progressive MEPs was swift—and unsurprising. Several of them and their assistants attended parliamentary sessions the following days wearing the keffiyeh in solidarity. “I don’t see the issue. That person was dressed completely normally,” said Belgian MEP Marc Botenga from The Left group, who also pointed out that no one had raised objections when Ukrainian symbols were previously displayed in the same context.
The episode also highlights the ambiguity of the European Parliament’s internal rules. Staff have no specific dress code, although they must behave with “discretion and respect towards the institution.” The ethics guidelines state that workers must avoid actions that could favour political parties or groups, unless they are directly employed by one.
An institutional spokesman indicated that cases are assessed individually if it is believed the neutrality obligation has been breached. Meanwhile, some staff members have reportedly received informal instructions not to wear the keffiyeh during official meetings.
