United Airlines Asks Passenger to Change T-Shirt Before Flight

A passenger of Palestinian origin traveling on a United Airlines flight from Atlanta to Newark said he was told he could be denied travel because of a T-shirt bearing the message, “Bmbng children is not self-defense.”

Sam Saadeh said he was asked to leave the aircraft shortly after boarding. According to his account, a United representative told him that a flight attendant considered the message on his shirt offensive and gave him the choice of changing it or not being allowed to travel.

Saadeh changed his T-shirt and continued his journey as scheduled. However, he said he was not given a clear explanation as to which part of the message violated the airline’s policies.

In a brief statement, United Airlines confirmed that the passenger changed his shirt and traveled on his originally scheduled flight.