YouTube star: airline removed me for speaking Arabic

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

An Arab YouTube star alleged Wednesday that he was removed from a Delta Airlines flight solely because passengers complained that he was speaking Arabic.

Video of the incident Adam Saleh posted on Twitter appears to show him being escorted off of the airliner as he complains about being removed "for speaking a different language".

"There's six white people against us bearded men," Saleh says as he makes his way down the airplane aisle after speaking to his mom in Arabic. "I feel uncomfortable."

"You guys are racists. I cannot believe my eyes," he says.

At least one passenger can be heard yelling "Bye!" and waving in what appears to be a patronizing gesture.

"That's insane," another passenger says in sympathy with Saleh. "They can speak in whatever language they want to."

The incident is the latest in which Delta Airlines has been accused of discriminating against its Muslim passengers.

In a statement, the airline said it takes all accusations of discrimination seriously "and we are gathering all of the facts before jumping to any conclusion".

"Our culture requires treating everyone with respect," it said, before adding that "more than 20 customers" expressed discomfort. It is unclear if Delta is referring to the passengers who complained that Saleh was speaking in Arabic, or the passengers who spoke up on his behalf as he was being removed from Delta flight 1, which was departing London's Heathrow Airport.

"We have spoken with the customers who were removed; they were rebooked on another flight. Plans are in place to immediately speak with our crew and other passengers when the flight lands this afternoon," it said.

The video Saleh posted to Twitter had been retweeted over 415,000 times in the six hours since it was posted.