Man kicked off flight for anti-Bush T-shirt
SuzannePjam
Posts: 411
At least he wasn't breast feeding. 
Australian kicked off flight for anti-Bush T-shirt
Airline staff takes issue over message calling president ‘number 1 terrorist’
CANBERRA, Australia - An airline passenger barred from a flight for wearing a T-shirt labeling President Bush a terrorist has threatened legal action against Australia’s flag carrier Qantas.
Allen Jasson, 55, an Australian IT expert who lives in Britain, was stopped from boarding a London-bound Qantas flight at Melbourne Airport last Friday for wearing what the airline said was an offensive T-shirt.
Airline staff said the T-shirt of Bush with the tagline “World’s number 1 terrorist” could have upset other passengers and demanded it be changed for another.
But Jasson, who had earlier traveled on a Qantas domestic flight wearing the Bush T-shirt, said his right to freedom of speech had been infringed by Qantas.
“I am not prepared to go without the T-shirt. I might forfeit the fare, but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech,” Jasson told Australian media on Monday, adding he would seek legal advice.
Qantas issued a statement saying comments made verbally or on a T-shirt which had the potential to offend other travelers or threaten the security of aircraft “will not be tolerated.”
Australian kicked off flight for anti-Bush T-shirt
Airline staff takes issue over message calling president ‘number 1 terrorist’
CANBERRA, Australia - An airline passenger barred from a flight for wearing a T-shirt labeling President Bush a terrorist has threatened legal action against Australia’s flag carrier Qantas.
Allen Jasson, 55, an Australian IT expert who lives in Britain, was stopped from boarding a London-bound Qantas flight at Melbourne Airport last Friday for wearing what the airline said was an offensive T-shirt.
Airline staff said the T-shirt of Bush with the tagline “World’s number 1 terrorist” could have upset other passengers and demanded it be changed for another.
But Jasson, who had earlier traveled on a Qantas domestic flight wearing the Bush T-shirt, said his right to freedom of speech had been infringed by Qantas.
“I am not prepared to go without the T-shirt. I might forfeit the fare, but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech,” Jasson told Australian media on Monday, adding he would seek legal advice.
Qantas issued a statement saying comments made verbally or on a T-shirt which had the potential to offend other travelers or threaten the security of aircraft “will not be tolerated.”
"Where there is sacrifice there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings."-- Ayn Rand
"Some of my friends sit around every evening and they worry about the times ahead,
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference and the promise of an early bed..."-- Elvis Costello
"Some of my friends sit around every evening and they worry about the times ahead,
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference and the promise of an early bed..."-- Elvis Costello
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Comments
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
oh shut the fuck up.........
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
While that may be true, this is one stupid reason to remove someone from a plane.
hahaha
So does that mean the next time I take a flight and somebody is wearing a Celine Dion tshirt or a Toby Keith one that they should be kicked off because I find that offensive :rolleyes: I mean sure I do find it offensive but if they want to wear that kind of crap who I am to say????
I do get that though free speech isn't related to an airline as it is private but it does seem more than a bit absurd to kick him off for that.
to me it seems more absurd to not put a shirt on over it and get on the plane.
Not whatever reason... they can't remove you because of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or political affiliation.
That being said, this guy is out of luck.... I don't agree with him being removed, but I doubt that he has any legal recourse (at least he wouldn't in the US).
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
shhhhh...we don't like responsibility. We'd just rather act a certain way and have others adapt to it b/c it's our freedom to act a certain way.
makes this guy a complete moron.........
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
i concur
I won't disagree with that.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Good point. I guess what I'm saying is I don't feel they even have to GIVE a reason.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I still find it absurd that you would be escorted off the plane for that, what if it were a pro-Bush shirt? Praising all of the death and destruction in Iraq? I guess it all depends on your perspective. It is interesting for certain to see how people react differently to such things. Very few things today wouldn't offend someone. Some people are just looking for something to offend them :rolleyes:
naděje umírá poslední
Yes, I agree it is absurd to be kicked off for something that may offend other passengers. Unless it's something obscene, you should be allowed to wear it.
I guess as a passenger it comes down to what is more important... getting to where you are heading or making a statement (that won't change anything) with your shirt. If I am going to the airport, I'd be more worried about getting to where I'm going.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
and some people are looking for ways to offend. If it was pro-bush shirt that praised the death and destruction in iraq i hope he would take it off too. People shouldn't praise death and destruction.
I think he wasn't allowed on the plane because bringing up political issues like that creates a hostile environment. A Moving Train is proof of that. I wouldn't let anyone on my plane who was wearing anything that called anyone a terrorist. When a plane is 30,000 feet in the air, the last thing you want is hostility to be stirred up among the passengers. It's not safe. So I don't think it's absurd.
Taking the plane is becoming a challenge to remember the improbable number of rules you have to follow in order to get to the right destination. And I thought flying would become easier as time went by.
yeah, i don't care if someone is wearing that on the street, that's their choice, but when it's on an airplane and the airline has a policy against it, just change the damn shirt. i know we agree about this but there are certain battles to choose but that seriously isn't one to choose.
Are you sure about that?
The guy is a dillweed for not covering up the shirt in light of the heavy handed airline approach but it does seem a little silly on part of the airline, cuz he wore the same shirt on another of their flights-he prob tht it wldnt be a problem after that experience.
also, about it causing hostility etc...its a fuckin t shirt, get over it. A bomb strapped to his waist...yes. a t shirt? fuck no. The 7/7 suspects over here all had beards -so now a beard might cause hostility, so they should shave it off, despite it being integral to their cultures and beliefs-thats not right. and neither is it to expect this guy to remove his t shirt, its his belief. what sort of world would it be if this attitude was allowed to take precedence?
Really the only thing the guy has shown is his freedom of stupidity.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
ha ha, with "freedom" comes responsibility....It seems the fella was fighting for "freedom", the "freedom" to wear a shirt...yup, that's right a shirt....
also, I find it amusing that some will give private enterprise a free pass when it comes to legislating right and wrong, yet when the government does it, many of those very same people are upset....
legislating? a private business can do whatever it wants. it doesnt owe you anything.
governments are, in most cases, elected by the people. those people have every right to bitch at them when they feel something is not right.
agreed.....
from my window to yours