Loading ...VIDEO: Arab American YouTube Star Kicked Off Delta Flight for Speaking Arabic
BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer
Arab American YouTube star, Adam Saleh, was kicked off a Delta Airlines Flight for speaking Arabic on the phone with his mom earlier today. Him and his friend Slim were kicked off after more than 20 passengers complained, according to Delta.
In a series of social media posts, Saleh expressed his anger over getting kicked off the London fight to New York. With nearly 2 million followers on his social media platforms, Saleh’s videos have been spreading around quickly.
In the video, Saleh said “We spoke a different language on the plane, and now we’re getting kicked out… It’s 2016.” His friend Slim, who is so upset about the situation, continues to ask, “Why are you guys doing this? This is so upsetting.”
Delta officials keep trying to get the two men off the plane throughout the video, but Saleh says “No, you’re going to kick us out once we get outside.”
About six passengers in the rear of the plane can be seen waving goodbye to the two men in the video. Saleh says the dispute started when “six white people complained” about him speaking Arabic.
A spokesperson for Delta Airines told CNBC that they’re conducting a full review to understand what transpired after more than 20 people complained of discomfort. “We are taking allegations of discrimination very seriously; our culture requires treating others with respect,” the airline added.
After getting kicked off the plane, Saleh tweeted updates. The police showed up to speak to the two men. They were forced to go through security again and got onto a different airline for a flight to New York.
Twitter users have begun using the hashtag #boycottdelta to show solidarity with Saleh and Slim. However, other users are questioning the legitimacy of the incident because Saleh is a YouTube prankster. His videos include social experiments that set up bystanders to react to situations in front of them, such as watching a woman get her hijab forcefully removed.
The Delta incident doesn’t look like anything Saleh has done before, though. Airlines, on the other hand, have a history of kicking Arabic speakers off their planes after complaints of “discomfort,” regardless of the fact that the speakers are not a threat to anyone’s safety.
