Jewish Passengers Raise Alarm Bells About US Flight Staff Wearing Palestinian Badges

Badges picturing the Palestinian flag and reading a message in support of Palestinians, are pinned on the jacket of a protester outside Downing Street, in London, on Oct. 18, 2023. Justin TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Passengers have lodged complaints about Palestinian flag pins worn by staff members working at Australian airlines.

A flight crew member checking in passengers for a Qantas flight from Dallas to Sydney was seen wearing a badge of the Palestinian flag.

This breaches the Qantas badge policy, which prevents employees wearing “unauthorised badges” amid the conflict in the Middle East.

An Australian student of Jewish descent photographed the staff member wearing two of the flag pins on his jacket, along with a Qantas lanyard in front of a computer at Dallas airport.

The 16-year-old told Sky News Australia he had informed the crew member the flag might be “intimidating” and “offensive” to Jewish passengers.

However, the employee responded by quoting his free speech and amendment rights in the United States.

“OK, well that’s your opinion, this is a free country,” he reportedly said.

The Epoch Times has confirmed with Qantas the individual was employed by a third party ground service provider, used by Qantas for check-in at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

The issue has been escalated to the ground service provider, who will be reminding the employee of the airline’s policy around badges.

A Qantas spokesperson referred The Epoch Times to a Qantas statement on wearing the Palestinian flag badge, published in early January.

Staff members are unable to wear unauthorised badges under the airline’s uniform policy, although the airline respects the views of staff amid the Middle East conflict.

“We understand there are strong and opposing views on the current conflict, but there is no room for these to be expressed by our employees in the workplace,” Qantas said.

“Our priority is creating a safe and respectful environment for our customers and all our people.

“Unauthorised badges can’t be worn by employees and we’ve reminded all employees of the policy, along with the seriousness of this particular matter.”

In December, multiple cabin crew on a plane operated by Qantas wore Palestinian flag badges on a Qantas Link flight from Melbourne to Hobart. In another incident, a Jetstar employee reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” during a flight from Melbourne to Ballina in December.

A QantasLink plane taxis on the runway ahead of takeoff at Sydney Airport on Jan. 20, 2024.  Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Australian Jewish Association Raises Concerns

Australian Jewish Association (AJA) CEO Robert Gregory raised concerns that activists were ignoring the directive from Qantas management.

“This is the latest of several similar incidents connected to Qantas that we have been made aware of. Clearly some activists are thumbing their noses at the directive from Qantas management,” the AJA said.

“Now, it is time for them to face the consequences. Passengers don’t want to be confronted with the political positions of airline employees. Jewish passengers understandably feel intimidated, following the atrocities of Oct. 7 as well as the surge in antisemitic attacks locally, associated with the pro-Palestinian cause.

“Many are aware that there is a long history of Palestinian Arab airplane hijackings. Qantas is establishing a reputation for left-wing political activism. It needs to publicly repudiate these actions”

False Alarm on Virgin Flight

Meanwhile, a Jewish passenger also made a complaint about a flight attendant who was wearing what was believed to be a Palestinian flag pin.

The 64-year-old women felt intimidated and hid her “Star of David” bracelet, Daily Mail Australia reported.

The woman lodged a formal complaint after returning on a flight to Melbourne from the Gold Coast with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, the publication reported.

A Virgin Australia plane takes off from Sydney Airport on Jan. 20, 2024. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

A Virgin Australia spokesperson told The Epoch Times that upon further investigation, the pin worn by the crew member was revealed to be a flag of the United Arab Emirates, which is approved by the airline.

The UAE flag and the Palestinian flag are similar in appearance.

The airline’s policy enables staff who speak multiple languages to wear a flag pin to help passengers from other cultures identify them.

“Virgin Australia can confirm that crew members were not wearing unauthorised flag pins on their uniform on VA738 on Jan. 21, 2024,” the airline said. 

“One crew member on the flight speaks multiple languages, including Arabic. That crew member was wearing their Virgin Australia-approved flag pin from the United Arab of Emirates, along with the French flag.

“Virgin Australia allows team members who speak a language other than English to wear a flag pin issued by Virgin Australia to assist guests who may need language assistance.”