Qantas bars man wearing 'Bush' T-shirt

The erosion of Freedom of speech is becoming more and more prevelant in our society. It is disapionting to be seeing this happening in Australia..

An Australian who lives in Britain has threatened legal action against Qantas for barring him from a Melbourne-to-London flight wearing a T-shirt depicting US President George W Bush as a terrorist. Airline staff argued the T-shirt, which bears an image of the US president with the slogan 'World's number 1 terrorist', was a security risk or an item likely to upset passengers.

news.ninemsn.com.au...

Exactly how this T-shirt constituted a "security risk" is beyond me. What type of World do we live in, where we can't voice our opinions about our Leaders? Doesn't this defy the basic principles of Democracy?

This is wrong, and i for one hopes he wins his case..

G'day,

On talkback radio here today they were talking about this and the point was raised if it would have been acceptable to wear a t-shirt that said "Osama - Worlds Number 1 Terrorist" if it would have been appropriate to wear?

Who the hell allows QANTAS the right to censor expression of free speech?

Australia is being groomed as a little test laboratory of the NWO, and seeing how changes here affect the public so they may be implemented in other places of the world.

Look at our gun laws, they will soon be spread to other countries - you watch.

And I have heard rumours that we will be forced to accept a chip imbedded I.D card around JULY - AUGUST this year, thou nothing has been said publicly I know someone who works in "a department".

These card pave the way for people to only get used to the idea of this chip embedded card as a constand I.D and surveillance device. It will be made to fail in a couple years after we have accepted it and the notion that we must embed these chips as the only way to protect us from identity theft will be put forward to be accepted by the masses.

And now we hear today that they want to ban the Australian Flag being waved at an Australia Day Rock Concert ! What the hell is going on?

Do they want us to begin loosing and relinquishing our identity so we may conform easier into a NWO society were everyone is exactly the same?

What would happen if they tried to ban the US Flag on Independance Day?

Not Happy Mate

Originally posted by Melbourne_Militia
And now we hear today that they want to ban the Australian Flag being waved at an Australia Day Rock Concert ! What the hell is going on?

yes just read about it two hours ago on the bbc site and posted a new thread , it's just unbelievable , i must say though that at least it wasn't the local authorities issuing the "ban"

what is even scarier is that people just take it and won't move an inch to protest this sort of decisions , nice formatting job , our society is going down the drain but well ..... it's been a while now

France and Germany have the same sort of "flag problem" where it is seen as inconvenient and you'd be portrayed as an extremist of some sort .
What a world

Ok, I don't know much about Australian airlines, but is this not a privately owned business and not owned by the government? Don't they have the right to establish their own laws and dress codes?

I would think that if I owned a company, whether it's a restaurant or an airline, I'd like to think that I have control over what people are wearing. Kind of like the no shirt, no shoes thing.

This is not taking away their freedom of speech, unless the government owns the airline, it's got nothing to do with that. It's just a company covering their own butt by trying to keep anything that could cause a disturbance off of their plane.

An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

enough said

I'm not a pro censorship kinda guy, but this guy seems more interested in making a point than anything else. Airports/Airplanes etc... aren't the best place to test the boundaries of free speech. It's the airline's prerogative to enforce standards of dress and decorum, while the passenger enjoys the privelege of utilizing their service. The point wasn't so much that this passenger was a security risk, as they didn't want to run the risk of an altercation with other passengers. If he'd had a Osama Bin Laden shirt on with the same phrase, it wouldn't have been likely to offend anyone or cause any incidents. If he'd had a shirt with an obscene reference or picture, they'd make him change too. You can't talk about hijacking, bombs, weapons, etc... in airports or on airplanes either, whether in jest or not. They don't have a sense of humor about anything that can cause problems on a flight, and as a private company, I don't blame them for looking out for their liability issues.

Originally posted by andy1033
An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

enough said

I would think that it's an injustice and an infringment on the rights of a privately owned company to not be able to establish their own dress standards and make decisions that could affect the comfort level of the majority of their passengers.

What? he only owns one shirt?

Selfish dink.
What kind of idiot would wear ANY shirt like this, to an airport?
With the intention of wearing it ON an airliner?

There are lots of people that are terrorized by the mere thought flying.
Yes, some people are afraid to fly, period.
It may be an irrational fear, but it feels the same as any other kind.

Then you have Buttheads like this guy who feel the need to put an additional seed of doubt in their fellow passengers. It's a selfish thing to do.
So Why do it? He thought it was cute? He wanted to tell the world of his personal politics? Whatever.

His intentions were litigation. Nothing more, nothing less.
I hope Qantas does not cave, on this one. They are a private entity, and have the right to kick off whomever they see fit. Next time, I hope they wait until they are at cruise altitude before booting him, and guys like him off the plane..LOL

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to peacefully assemble, all men are created equal, government of the people by the people and for the people..................................America!

If someone asks you to do something like what has happened to this poor person, always ask them to put it in writing.

This allows for you later on to bring it to court and have hard evidence.


Example:

Them:Take the shirt off now!

You: No I don't think so.

Them: Take it off or....blah, blah

You: Ok you put it in writing and sign it, because this is against my will and I am under duress at this point.

At this point they will get the point and probable back off, if they don't I would say that if you get a good lawyer you will win or get a settlement.

Originally posted by Realtruth
If someone asks you to do something like what has happened to this poor person, always ask them to put it in writing.

This allows for you later on to bring it to court and have hard evidence.


Example:

Them:Take the shirt off now!

You: No I don't think so.

Them: Take it off or....blah, blah

You: Ok you put it in writing and sign it, because this is against my will and I am under duress at this point.

At this point they will get the point and probable back off, if they don't I would say that if you get a good lawyer you will win or get a settlement.

Free speech is a right. Flying on an airline isn't. If they have a policy against clothing which may cause an incident, then the passenger can abide by it, or not fly. If you walked into a business and started shouting out inflammatory, offensive, or obscene statements, they'd be well within their right to have you removed from the premises if you didn't stop when asked. One's rights end where another's rights begin.

Ever see those television shows where they show average members of society photos of prominent political figures and the majority of them can't even identify someone as simple as oh...Dick Cheney?

Perhaps these are the types of people who saw the shirt and the word "terrorist" and flipped out. Maybe that $10 t-shirt's rendition of Bush didn't even look a darn thing like him.

You can't say "bomb" on a plane, in any context, without being removed from the flight and interrogated. That's be standard protocol for what seems like forever.

In that light - what makes anyone think they can wear a shirt with the word "terrorist" in this day and age - regardless of the context - on a major flight?

It's not a free speech issue. Free speech does not include the right to make other people offended or uncomfortable, regardless of the point being made.

Has anyone seen an image of the offending shirt? Million to one it's a cheap flea market knock off.

[edit on 22-1-2007 by GENERAL EYES]

From the USA TODAY article :

Jasson said he wore the shirt unchallenged through official security checks, then approached a Qantas staff member at the gate to draw attention to it because he had been asked to remove it before boarding a domestic flight days earlier.

Sounds like he knew the risks....

Jasson, an Australian who lives in London, said Qantas had offered to put him on another flight if he does not wear the shirt. But he has so far declined.

Well, at least his freedom of choice isn't being usurped by the totalitarian Qanta overlords...

"I might forfeit the fare but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech," he said.

Hmm. Freedom of CHOICE. More important that freedom of speech?

(I would think so...)

He said he was considering suing the airline, but it was not immediately clear under what law.

Was this before or after he decided to wear that fateful shirt - for the second time?

Melb Militia,

I hear you and agree with everything you said in your post...you and I are very much maligned in our thinking.

We are seeing the same things...why can't others see ??

Because they can't think outside the square that is their lives (see my signature)

Originally posted by resistancia
Melb Militia,

I hear you and agree with everything you said in your post...you and I are very much maligned in our thinking.

We are seeing the same things...why can't others see ??

Because they can't think outside the square that is their lives (see my signature)

It's not a matter of living in a square. It's a matter of common sense. If a private company has a policy(which in a free society it has every right to), then the customer, if they wish to utilize the services of said company, must abide by their rules. I'm suspicious of the motivations of people who feel the need to express themselves at any cost, for attention purposes. It's so important for me to wear this t-shirt to show what an individual I am, and excercise my rights, that I'm willing to get kicked off a plane. Nothing or nobody else matters but my rights to expression. I'm selling out if I excercise decorum and restraint. If one wishes to participate in society, there are rules. There is no such thing as absolute freedom- that's anarchy, and not many folks would really want to live under those conditions, where no considerations for anyone else are made.

BlueRaja,

Melb Militia mentioned other issues relating to Australia in his post (if you care to read it) besides the Tshirt debacle. Well I happen to agree with what MelbMil posted and that is just too bad if you do not agree.

Its only a shirt...I want one...do you know where I can get one ??

I am actually offended by fat girls in low cut jeans who let the fat spill out over the top, lets ban them from flying too...they are soooo offensive to my eye and I am sure, others.

How about english tourist in sandals with socks and hawaiian shirts ?

Lets ban anyone that has a joke on their T shirt.

If the guy had of had Osama Bin Laden with the same caption do you think there would have been as much fuss ????

NOOOOO...it was only because George Double Trouble was on the shirt.

US thought police spreading their tentacles world wide...we do not need your thought police here in Oz.