Comedian Eric André says he was racially profiled at airport

American comedian Eric André says he was racially profiled at Melbourne Airport. The Emmy-nominated host of “The Eric André Show” said he was traveling from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, for a shoot and had a stopover in Melbourne, where he was “put in a special line” and “sniffed thoroughly by a dog.” “It’s one
Comedian Eric André says he was racially profiled at airport

American comedian Eric André says he was racially profiled at Melbourne Airport.

The Emmy-nominated host of “The Eric André Show” said he was traveling from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, for a shoot and had a stopover in Melbourne, where he was “put in a special line” and “sniffed thoroughly by a dog.”

“It’s one of the many times I’ve been racially profiled at the airport,” André, 41, said in an Instagram video Sunday, warning viewers flying through Melbourne to “please be careful.”

“They are searching Black, brown and Indigenous people,” he said.

A spokesperson for the airport told NBC News on Tuesday that “Melbourne Airport does not tolerate racism in any form.”

“We welcome all passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that the airport had asked the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to investigate, and that those agencies had responded to André.

In a statement, a DAFF spokesperson said all passengers arriving in Australia are “part of biosecurity screening processes for things such as fresh fruit or vegetables, plants and food, or soil on footwear or recreational equipment.”

As part of the screening, the spokesperson said, travelers might be subjected to baggage scans through X-rays or “be subject to individual inspections and unpacking of baggage, or by general screening with the assistance of our highly trained dogs.”

“Any traveler coming into Australia will experience some or all of these screening measures,” the spokesperson added.

The Australian Border Force referred NBC News to its comment on André’s Instagram post Monday that it was not involved in the incident.

André asked anyone hiring him for future work in Australia to provide him with a security escort through Melbourne Airport, or that his itinerary allow him to avoid it altogether.

“I do not feel safe in the Melbourne airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports,” he said.

He asked his followers for leads on discrimination lawyers in Australia as well as information on what he called a “Giuliani stop-and-frisk-esque nonsense program,” which he criticized as ineffective.

“I don’t want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so that I’m treated like a first-class citizen,” André said in the video. “I shouldn’t be made to feel that I am unaccepted by entering a country.”

Two years ago, André and fellow comedian and actor Clayton English sued over a drug search program at the Atlanta airport, saying police had racially profiled and illegally stopped them. They filed an appeal in January after the lawsuit was dismissed.

,

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Putin promised poorly trained conscripts wouldn’t be sent to war. Now the front line has come to them
Read More

Putin promised poorly trained conscripts wouldn’t be sent to war. Now the front line has come to them

CNN  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin made a big promise when he launched his war on Ukraine: conscripts would not be involved in combat. But as Moscow struggles to contain Ukrainian advances deeper into its territory, families of young soldiers deployed in the area are raising the alarm about their loved ones. Messages shared in Russian Telegram channels and
Body of baby found under floorboards ‘laid undiscovered for 30 years’: Neighbours reveal their shock after grim discovery made by workers renovating a flat above a pizza shop
Read More

Body of baby found under floorboards ‘laid undiscovered for 30 years’: Neighbours reveal their shock after grim discovery made by workers renovating a flat above a pizza shop

The body of a baby discovered under floorboards by workers renovating a house had been there for 30 years, it is understood.  Two business owners in the old market town of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, have been told the remains of the child found on Tuesday had stayed undiscovered for three decades.  The grisly find
Rooker celebrates growing family with Players’ Weekend bat, cleatsRooker celebrates growing family with Players’ Weekend bat, cleats
Read More

Rooker celebrates growing family with Players’ Weekend bat, cleatsRooker celebrates growing family with Players’ Weekend bat, cleats

Rooker celebrates growing family with Players' Weekend bat, cleats August 18th, 2024 Sonja Chen @sonjamchen Share share-square-193496 Brent Rooker's bat for Players Weekend, which features two tulips -- one for each of his daughters, who both have the initials BER. pic.twitter.com/U4F7yT4vUa — Sonja Chen 陈星雅 (@SonjaMChen) August 18, 2024 OAKLAND -- Brent Rooker is no