Posted on 01/06/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
A viral video shows a Jewish American Airlines passenger holding a heated argument with a flight attendant and calling her “antisemitic,” because she was wearing a watermelon pin, which has become a symbol for Palestinian solidarity.
The incident ended in police involvement and a widespread public debate on freedom of speech and attitudes towards Jewish passengers, reports the New York Post.
“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 incident started when the passenger noticed the one of the flight attendants was wearing a watermelon-shaped pin. The pin, which is identified as a pro-Palestinian symbol because its colors are identical to the Palestinian flag, enraged him. The passenger confronted the flight attendant, claiming that she was displaying support for terrorism and antisemitism.
“You support terrorism, you’re antisemitic,” the passenger yelled. The flight attendants claimed: "We didn't even know you were Jewish," and the passenger responded: "You're antisemitic, you're acting antisemitic."
The flight attendant told the man that he was not permitted to film them, according to US aviation regulations.
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.
Despite the demand to stop filming and delete the videos, the passenger refused, accusing them of antisemitic conduct. The flight attendants claimed that the passenger behaved aggressively and even raised his hand to one of them.
When the plane landed, the flight attendants called the police. The passenger complained to the police that the flight attendants prevented him from getting off the plane until he deleted the video.
"They imprisoned me for a stupid reason," he posted on social media. "When the police arrived, they confirmed that I had not broken the law and let me get off the plane."