The Courtauld Gallery has clarified its staff uniform policy so that only badges from the Gallery may be worn. This follows complaints about a staff member being caught wearing a Free Palestine Clenched fist badge in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI)  wrote to The Courtauld about the staff member scanning tickets, who was wearing the Free Palestine badge along with a Palestine flag badge, having received a complaint from an Israeli Jewish visitor.

The Courtauld visitor was upset to see these pro-Palestinian badges worn by staff and commented:  “I felt this was antisemitic, that The Courtauld did not want me there.  I felt singled out since these protests are applied only to Israel.”

UKLFI pointed out to The Courtauld that the fact that the staff member was displaying his personal political affiliations, was intimidating and offensive, particularly to Jewish or Israeli gallery visitors.  Jews and Israelis have protected characteristics of race, religion and belief under section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act).

According to Section 29 (3) of the Act, a service-provider must not, in relation to the provision of the service, harass a person to whom the service is provided.

Any Jewish or Israeli person seeing the staff member wearing the Palestine flag “fist” badge and the Free Palestine slogan is likely to feel harassed, according to the definition at Section 26  of the Act which says: “A person (A) harasses another (B) if …. the conduct has the purpose or effect of— (i) violating B’s dignity, or (ii) creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for B.”

After initially stating that “As a Gallery, we always welcome feedback and we will be reflecting further on our dress code policy”, the Courtauld has now said: “Under our revised policy, only items from The Courtauld shop will be permitted to be worn on staff uniforms.”

A search for badges in The Courtauld shop revealed that they sell pin badges of the Houses of Parliament, Playing Cards, Degas Ballerina, and Manet A Bar at the Folies Bergère. They also sell Impressionist and Courtauld button badge sets.

A spokesperson for UKLFI commented:  “We are pleased that The Courtauld has now amended their dress code for staff, and hopefully the staff will only wear appropriate artistic badges from now on.”