Miami | A passenger on a United Airlines flight wearing a red thong as a mask was forced to disembark before take off at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, local media reported Thursday.
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The 38-year-old explained to local NBC2 that he wants to prove the “ridiculousness” of the rule requiring a mask to be worn to protect against COVID-19 on planes while allowing passengers to take them out to eat and drink.
Video of Wednesday’s incident, filmed by another passenger, shows the crew telling them they won’t be able to stay on the plane if they put their belts on their faces. After the discussion, the man finally left his seat, and quit.
In his NBC2 interview, he compared himself to African-American Rosa Parks, the symbol of the civil rights struggle in the United States who in 1955 refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. The laws in force at that time.
“In this country, every change is 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 issue on the ground prior to takeoff, and avoiding any potential turbulence in the air,” United Airlines responded in a press release. Send it to the local press.