The Jazzablanca festival, held from June 6 to 8 in Casablanca, is embroiled in a new controversy. On Instagram and Twitter, internet users are accusing the festival's organizers of denying access to certain festival-goers because of their keffiyehs, a traditional headdress worn as a sign of solidarity with Palestine amid the ongoing war on Gaza. It all started with a photo taken by two women, posing with keffiyehs in front of the Jazzablanca entrance, who claimed they were denied entry because of their keffiyehs. Evidence obtained by Yabiladi showed that the people in question were reportedly able to access the festival with their keffiyehs. After seeing the controversial photo, a member of the organization assured Yabiladi that they had personally allowed the women in question to enter. One of the girls in the photo contacted Yabiladi on Friday to tell her side of the story. She explained that they had indeed been able to attend the festival with their keffiyehs. First, however, there was an incident with a security guard who denied them entry. We also learned that two other people had experienced the same mishap, but were eventually allowed in. Yabiladi, which was present during the festival's opening day on Thursday, also observed several festival-goers wearing keffiyehs among the crowds attending the shows.
