Key Points
- A Sydney man says he was asked to take off a shirt reading "Justice for Palestine" before boarding a flight.
- The man says Virgin Australia staff asked him to remove it because other passengers felt it was "offensive".
- Virgin Australia's website says dress requirements for passengers do not allow offensive language or symbols.
An Australian man is demanding an explanation from Virgin Australia after reportedly being asked by flight crew to remove a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Justice for Palestine" prior to boarding.
Doug Cronin was about to board a flight from Brisbane to Sydney two weeks ago when he was stopped by a Virgin Australia staff member.
He says the staff took issue with a shirt he was wearing at the time, which featured a picture of a hand holding a key above the words "Justice for Palestine" and "Freedom for Palestine" written in Arabic beneath it.
Cronin, a director at Our Race Community — which describes itself as "an anti-racist storytelling social enterprise" — said he was moved from the boarding line to speak to a supervisor and was questioned about the shirt and asked to change.
"He said to me, 'People find your shirt offensive'," Cronin told SBS News.
"And I said, 'What do you mean, it's offensive?' And he said, 'Oh, you know, it's too political.'"
Cronin said the Virgin staffer told him there had been complaints from other passengers who'd been "offended" by the shirt.
Doug Cronin (centre) with the shirt he says he was instructed to take off before boarding a domestic flight. Credit: Supplied
"He said, 'Your shirt is similar to someone who has purchased those T-shirts from the Northern Territory that say 'C-U (in the) N-T'," he said.
"And I said, 'This has nothing to do with that'."
Cronin said he was too tired to argue so instead changed into another Palestinian-themed shirt featuring a picture of a key and a watermelon, which did not appear to prompt any issues.
He said he found it "ridiculous" that he was stopped for wearing the shirt.
"There's nothing that's offensive at all — asking for justice. If it was justice for animals, was justice for anything, it would be fine."
He said his interpretation of "justice for Palestine" was firstly about calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war.
"We are at a point here where we can't even just demand a ceasefire," he said.
"But I think it actually is looking at Palestinian land rights and that they’ve lost that in the apartheid, the occupation of Palestine."
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have issued separate reports claiming Israel's treatment of Palestinians amounted to apartheid. The findings were strongly rejected by Israel's government, which claims the groups were echoing propaganda without checking the facts.
In the same year, a UN commission of inquiry found the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory was unlawful. Then Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid described the report as biased and false.
Cronin said he is seeking a proper explanation from Virgin Australia about the dress code and is considering legal action on anti-discrimination grounds.
"I'd like to know about where they stand on this, because is it their policy? Is it something else?," he said.
On its website, Virgin Australia states that it applies minimum dress requirements for boarding.
"If your items of clothing display offensive language or symbols, you will not be permitted on our services. If you do not meet our minimum dress requirements, you will be prevented from travel until you are dressed appropriately," it states.
SBS News understands ground staff were not imposing the dress requirements but attempting to defuse the situation with all passengers in mind.
"Our team members are trained in de-escalation strategies", a spokesperson told SBS News, adding they "do their best to create an environment where passengers feel safe and comfortable".
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that "Justice for Palestine" was written on the T-shirt in Arabic.
