A New Jersey man, Sam Saadeh, says he was forced to change an anti-war T-shirt before boarding a United Airlines flight after a flight attendant deemed the message offensive. The shirt read, ‘Bombing kids is not self defense.’ Saadeh was approached by a United supervisor who told him to change the shirt or he would not be allowed to fly.
Incident Details
Saadeh, who is of Palestinian descent, said the shirt was intended to advocate for children and oppose violence regardless of nationality or ethnicity. He ultimately changed shirts because he wanted to make it home but described the interaction as humiliating. United Airlines confirmed that Saadeh flew on the flight after changing his shirt.
United’s Contract of Carriage states the airline may refuse transportation to passengers who are ‘not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive.’ The organization behind the shirt, Wear the Peace, posted on Facebook that the shirt was a ‘peaceful statement, not a threat’ intended to draw attention to the deaths of children in Gaza.
Saadeh filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation and is consulting with attorneys. The incident has raised questions about the airline’s policy on passenger clothing and the consistency of its application.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
