By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-05 20:49:04 | Updated at 2025-01-07 11:02:48
1 day ago
Viral video shows a Jewish American Airlines passenger tearing into a flight attendant and calling her “antisemitic” for wearing a watermelon pin, which has become a symbol for Palestinian solidarity.
Video from inside the Miami-bound plane and uploaded to social media shows the man in a heated argument with the flight attendant as he tore into her for wearing the pin and not letting him leave the plane.
“You support terrorism, you’re antisemitic,” the passenger yells. “Why are you preventing me from leaving the plane, is it because I’m Jewish? You’re antisemitic.”
The flight attendant and a colleague tell the man he can’t film them, according to US aviation regulations, and they also accuse him of putting his hands on them.
The passenger was allegedly told he was not allowed to leave until he deleted the video and had to wait for police to escort him out, but the man claimed he was the one who called the cops for help.
“Once officers came they told them I didn’t break any laws and they are the ones breaking the law by holding me on the plane for stupidity and they still refused to let me go so the officers got really upset and took me off the plane,” the passenger said.
“It was very upsetting to be treated like a criminal,” he added.
American Airlines said it was investigating the incident, which unfolded last week. The company did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
American Airlines forbids its staff from wearing unauthorized pins that are not part of the official uniform.
According to the company’s policy, staff are only allowed to wear company-issued pins that celebrate an anniversary or award, or a union pin from a company-recognized organization.
American also allows pins to be worn that celebrate military service as well as others specific pins celebrating religion, ethnicity or LGBTQ pride.
American Airlines staff previously made headlines over a break in this policy when pilots and flight attendants were caught wearing pins and stickers with the anti-Biden slogan, “Let’s Go Brandon,” in 2022.
