Kannur: A school in Kerala has drawn criticism after its principal stopped a group of students mid-performance for wearing pro-Palestine T-shirts during a youth festival. The incident took place on September 27 at Anjarakandy Higher Secondary School in Kannur.
The students had taken the stage to perform Kolkali, a centuries-old folk dance from north Malabar traditionally performed in a mundu, vest, and head cloth. Instead, the group wore black T-shirts with the slogan “Free Palestine.” A video widely shared on social media shows the principal walking onto the stage and halting the act before the curtains were drawn.
The principal argued that the students had violated the festival manual, though no specific rules were cited. The school is an aided institution run by a society controlled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The action triggered swift backlash. The Kerala Students Union (KSU), affiliated with the Congress, and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, held protest marches outside the school. They condemned the decision as an attempt to silence student expression and solidarity with Palestine.
This is not the first time Kolkali has been used as a medium of protest. Earlier in January, students at Government Vocational Higher Secondary School Chirakkara performed the dance blindfolded to the song “Vazhka Palestine” during the Kerala School Kalolsavam. That act was widely praised as a creative show of support for Palestinians.
The latest controversy highlights ongoing tensions in Kerala schools over expressions of political solidarity and the boundaries of cultural performances.
