USA
New York teen sues school district for painting over pro-Palestine mural
The student claimed that her free speech rights were violated after the artwork was edited
March 25, 2025 15:27
The student claimed that her free speech rights were violated after the artwork was edited
March 25, 2025 15:27A high school student has filed a lawsuit against her local school district for removing a pro-Palestine mural she had painted on her bay in its car park.
The complainant, named under the pseudonym Jane Khan in submissions to the New York Eastern District Court, claims that the move restricted her freedom of speech rights and resulted in “emotional trauma”.
Senior-year students are generally permitted to paint their parking bays as part of an annual tradition in the state, but Khan’s choice of imagery prompted controversy among the local community.
A photo obtained by the New York Post showed the mural in situ at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, NY.
Painted onto the tarmac, it displayed a watermelon slice (which has become a symbol of support for Palestine due to its similarity with the colours of the Palestinian flag) on a white background above the words “Peace be upon you”.
The fruit was also painted over in black lines to resemble the design of a keffiyeh scarf, which is also commonly used by pro-Palestine activists in the US.
Shortly after the beginning of the school year, an online campaign was launched demanding that the school superintendent remove the mural, according to Khan.
She claimed that her mural caused “no substantial disruption of any school activity or threatened harm to the rights of others” but was, nonetheless, partially painted over at the behest of the school.
The “peace be upon you caption” remains in place but the watermelon illustration has since been whitewashed over, according to a later image published by the Post.
Khan is now seeking unspecified damages as a result of the distress she allegedly suffered, adding that she “doesn’t want her viewpoint erased”.
The suit added: “Ms Khan’s inclusion of the watermelon with a keffiyeh design was an expression of her solidarity with Palestinians — something she feels arises in part from her Muslim identity and Pakistani heritage.”
Her attorneys also claimed that other students had been allowed to paint political messaging, including Black Lives Matter symbols, pride flags and the emblems of both the Republican and Democratic parties without incident.
The JC has contacted the Half Hollow Hills Central School District for comment.