An American Airlines passenger has accused a flight attendant of antisemitism after he spotted the crew member wearing a watermelon pin badge while the plane was on the ground at Miami International Airport earlier this week.
An argument ensued between the passenger and the flight attendant, along with her supervisor who had stepped into the fray to protect her colleague, with the purser alleging that she had been pushed by the passenger and the police being called.
A video of the incident filmed by the passenger starts with the man confronting two female crew members while telling them: “You’re supporting terrorism, you’re supporting terrorism with your pin [badge].”
The watermelon pin badge has become an increasingly popular way for people to physically show their solidarity with the Palestinian people after many organizations banned staffers from wearing specific Palestine flag pins.
Watermelons share the same colors as the flag of Palestine – red, green, white, and black – and are easy to get hold of, with Etsy stores even set up with the sold purpose of selling watermelon-themed accessories.
The watermelon pin badge is meant to be a slightly more subtle way to express support for the Palestinian cause, although it can also stoke anger, and organizations campaigning against antisemitism have called on companies to restrict workers wearing these pin badges.
As the passenger continued to film the flight attendants while accusing them of being antisemitic, he found himself blocked from getting off the plane by one of the crew members who had called the police due to the disturbance he was causing.
In response, the passenger asks whether the flight attendants are blocking his exit because he is Jewish. One of the flight attendants later said that the man had pushed her during the altercation.
Prominent Jewish influencer Melissa Chapman said the passenger was “treated like a criminal cause he took a video of a terrorist supporter.” Chapman says the Miami Dade police department allowed him to go set the flight attendants “straight.”
American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment on this incident and did not provide any details on its pin badge policy, especially in relation to Palestinian rights.
Last summer, Delta Air Lines was accused of antisemitism after a flight attendant was spotted wearing a Palestine flag pin badge during a flight to Flordia.
Although the flight attendant was breaking Delta’s uniform grooming rules as they stood at the time, the airline quickly barred staffers from wearing any flag pin badge other than the United States stars and stripes.
JetBlue introduced a similar policy after facing allegations of antisemitism, but United Airlines refused to back down in a row with a Jewish lobby group that demanded the airline bar its employees from wearing Palestine flag pins.
The Chicago-based carrier insisted that it would continue to allow flight attendants and other public-facing employees to wear flag pins that either represent a language they speak or represent “pride in a place to which they may have a special connection.”
In the United Kingdom, a Jewish law group accused Heathrow Airport of harassing Israeli passengers flying with national flag carrier ElAl by allowing security checkpoint staff to wear Palestine flag pins and watermelon pins.
What an entitled POS trying to silence other people’s free speech because he doesn’t like it.
Why are you assuming the gender of the flight attendants? Yes, they did like the passenger voicing their opinion and tried to silence them, but that doesn’t mean you should assume the flight attendants are “he”.
Kind of a facist thing to do on the passengers part
We wouldn’t be having this conversation if she was wearing any other pin, clearly he was triggered by it.
That pin is definitely not antisemitic.
“Dear Zionists… Surprise! Palestinians exist in America. They are also employed at American Airlines. Even more of a shocker – Palestinians are literally a Semitic people! Attacking flight attendants (which is a federal offense) who are of Palestinian decent or those in solidarity of the indigenous Semitic people experiencing a Genocide is literally the definition of Anti-Semitism! I know that’s a hard pill for Zionists to swallow due to the fact that it is ILLEGAL for Israeli’s to take a DNA test to prove their Semitic heritage whereas the mere existence of Palestinians refute every lie ever told by the illegal occupation and that’s why Zionists everywhere attack anyone who dares challenge their expensively racist land grab movement. “
Airlines need to grow a pair of balls and prohibit all pins, except the company logo or American flag. Period. No other pins. Including AFA pins.
Exactly. Your name badge and nothing else.