Fact check
“Wasim El‑Haj alleges that the acting principal told him in 2024 that the keffiyeh was seen as a symbol of conflict.”
Reasoning
The Guardian articles report that Wasim El‑Haj, a former careers adviser at Sydney Girls High School, alleges the acting principal told him in 2024 that the keffiyeh was seen as a symbol of conflict. The excerpts explicitly mention his allegation, confirming the claim about his statement of allegation.
On confidence: Multiple primary news sources directly quote El‑Haj's allegation about the acting principal's statement.
Important context
The claim concerns El‑Haj's allegation, not an independent verification of the principal's actual words. The evidence reflects El‑Haj's reported statements in legal filings.
Evidence
Supporting (2)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourcePalestinian careers adviser who was allegedly told to stop wearing keffiyeh at NSW school sues state for racial discrimination | New South Wales | The Guardian
free of symbols which stir these emotions, and which may cause discord.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email El-Haj alleges that in a further conversation with Denyer he said words to the effect of “any symbol of Palestine is…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourcePalestinian careers adviser who was allegedly told to stop wearing keffiyeh at NSW school sues state for racial discrimination | New South Wales | The Guardian
state of New South Wales . Wasim El-Haj, a former careers adviser at Sydney Girls High School – an inner-city selective government school – alleges the then acting principal told him in 2024 that the keffiyeh was seen as a symbol of…
Limitations
The sources report El‑Haj's allegation; they do not provide independent confirmation of the principal's exact words. The assessment is limited to the presence of the allegation in the cited reports.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 4:23 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
Palestinian careers adviser who was allegedly told to stop wearing keffiyeh at NSW school sues state for racial discriminationThe Guardian · Adeshola Ore Community affairs reporter