Posted on 01/14/2004 4:37:17 PM PST by Dallas59
SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - An American Airlines pilot was arrested at Sao Paulo International Airport on Wednesday after making an obscene gesture while being photographed by Brazilian (news - web sites) immigration officers, police said.
The pilot, identified as Dale Robin Hirsch, raised his middle finger at police to protest new Brazilian security measures that require U.S. citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the South American country.
Brazil implemented the policy on Jan. 1 in retaliation for a similar U.S. program that requires those foreign visitors who need visas to have their fingerprints and pictures taken on arrival in the United States.
"He made an internationally known obscene gesture when he was being photographed by the Federal Police," Federal Police agent Wagner Castilho told Reuters. He said the other crew members were denied entry after refusing to cooperate with security officials.
The incident came just one day after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva personally appealed to President Bush (news - web sites) to suspend visa requirements for each other's nationals and thus fingerprint checks.
Lula's request was expected to fall on deaf ears in Washington. Brazilians are among the top groups of illegal immigrants detained in the United States.
Castilho said the pilot will be charged with disobeying authority. A judge will decide whether Hirsch, 52, will be deported or tried in Brazil, Castilho added.
The remaining 11 members of the Miami-based crew were expected to be returned to the United States.
A spokesman in Sao Paulo for American Airlines said the carrier "respects the laws of the countries in which it operates," but declined further comment.
U.S. citizens have been subject to long lines at Brazilian airports since the new security measures were implemented, prompting Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) to complain that Americans were being discriminated against.
Eager to speed up the process, Brazil on Wednesday rushed to gather digital fingerprint readers from police stations across the country. Officials said they will be ready by Thursday to register U.S. visitors in "30 seconds" rather than the hours it takes with an inkpad.
With Rio de Janeiro's famous Carnival coming in February, the city is worried about the impact on tourism. It has taken to handing out roses and "Rio Loves You" T-shirts to U.S. visitors and on Wednesday laid on hip-wriggling Samba dancers at its airport arrival gate.
Especially the women...
Sorry, I can't agree with that. He "made an internationally known obscene gesture when he was being photographed by the Federal Police" and "will be charged with disobeying authority." You do that in the United States and you will also get jailed/charged for acting like a fool.
Hmmmm...acting like a fool...never heard of that crime. If the posted picture is what he is charged for doing, I think the charges will soon be dropped.
Same here. There is something about witnessing the use of unchecked authority that brings out the rebel in some of us. Bush needs to hurry because some of us will not support an indefinite extension of the war on terror.
There are certainly quite a few places in the world where the pilot's behavior will be punished. I don't go to those places.
Perhaps because he doesn't live in a banana republic.
Warm welcome: Samba dancers greet a tourist and his son as they arrive at the Rio de Janeiro Galeao airport yesterday. The samba reception is part of a city campaign against a federal judge ruling that all US citizens be fingerprinted and photographed at the country's entry points. Picture: AP
To paraphrase Mick Jagger "look at that STOOOOPID pilot". Bet he doesn't go around pulling this crap again. Heh, important lesson for him; being an American does not give you immunity from authorities in countries.
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