A passenger on a United Airlines flight who wore a red thong across their face as a mask was forced to disembark before take-off at the Fort Lauderdale airport in Fla., Local media reported Thursday (Dec. 16).
The 38-year-old man explained to the local channel NBC2 that he wanted to demonstrate the "
absurdity
" of the rule requiring to wear a mask to protect against Covid-19 on board planes while allowing passengers to remove them to eat and drink.
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Video of the incident on Wednesday, filmed by another passenger, shows the crew informing them that they will not be able to stay on board the aircraft if they keep their thongs on their face.
After discussion, the man finally left his seat, resigned.
Comparison to Rosa Parks
In his interview with NBC2, he then compared himself to African-American Rosa Parks, an icon of the struggle for civil rights in the United States who refused in 1955 to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. , challenging the discriminatory laws in force at the time. "
In this country, every change has been brought about by ordinary people,
" he explained seriously. “
Rosa Parks was not famous. She changed the course of history.
"
"
The customer was clearly not in compliance with the federal obligation to wear a mask and we are grateful to our crew for addressing the problem on the ground before take off, avoiding any potential disruption in the air,
" United Airlines responded in a press release sent to the local press.
