A Jewish passenger onboard an American Airlines flight confronted a flight attendant over a watermelon pin, a symbol linked to Palestinian solidarity, in a viral video that surfaced online.
The incident took place on a Miami-bound flight, with the man visibly agitated and accusing the flight attendant of being “antisemitic.”
The heated exchange, captured on video and shared on social media, shows the passenger accusing the attendant, “You support terrorism, you’re antisemitic,” and demanding to know why he wasn’t allowed to leave the plane. “Why are you preventing me from leaving the plane, is it because I’m Jewish? You’re antisemitic,” he continued.
In response, the flight attendant and a colleague informed the passenger that filming them violated US aviation rules, and they also accused him of physical contact.
According to the man, he was told he couldn’t leave until the video was deleted and had to wait for police to arrive.
However, he claimed it was he who had called the police for assistance.
“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 explained. “It was very upsetting to be treated like a criminal,” he added.
American Airlines has announced that they are investigating the incident, which occurred last week.
The airline’s policy prohibits employees from wearing unauthorized pins not part of the official uniform.
Staff members are only allowed to wear company-approved pins, such as those celebrating anniversaries or awards, or union pins from recognized organizations.
The watermelon pin, often used as a symbol of solidarity with Palestine, is not authorized, given the association with anti-Israeli sentiments.
American Airlines does permit staff to wear pins recognizing military service or celebrating religion, ethnicity, or LGBTQ pride.
The company had previously faced scrutiny in 2022 when some pilots and flight attendants were seen wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” pins, which criticized President Biden.
