A viral video shows a heated confrontation between a Jewish passenger and a flight attendant aboard an American Airlines plane after the passenger accused the attendant of antisemitism for wearing a watermelon pin, which is seen as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
The incident took place on a Miami-bound flight and was captured by the passenger, who can be seen confronting the flight attendant. He shouts, “You support terrorism, you’re antisemitic,” and questions why he wasn’t allowed to leave the plane, accusing the flight crew of treating him differently because of his Jewish background.
The flight attendant, along with a colleague, tells the man he cannot film them, citing US aviation regulations. The passenger was also allegedly accused of touching the flight attendants, which he denied.
American Airlines staff informed the passenger he could not leave until he deleted the video, and police were called to the scene. However, the passenger claims that he was the one who called the authorities. “Once officers came, they told them I didn’t break any laws and they are the ones breaking the law,” he said. The officers eventually escorted him off the plane, the New York Post reported.
The airline is investigating the incident, which took place last week. American Airlines prohibits staff from wearing unauthorised pins that aren’t part of the official uniform. The policy allows staff to wear company-issued pins for anniversaries, awards, military service, and pins that represent religion, ethnicity, or LGBTQ pride.
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, tensions have remained high worldwide, especially with the US providing military aid to Israel. The ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians, according to health ministry of Gaza.
