Posted on 04/20/2006 11:51:47 AM PDT by John Jorsett
LONDON - You expect to have your luggage scrutinized at the airport. But how about your choice of music?
Security staff at a British airport stopped a businessman from catching a flight because the songs he had asked a taxi driver to play on the car stereo made the driver suspicious, police said.
Harraj Mann, who is of Indian origin, had the songs stored on an MP3 player, which the cab was equipped to play on its stereo. Mann asked the driver to play "London Calling" by the Clash as they headed for Tees Valley International Airport near Darlington in northern England on March 30, news reports said.
The lyrics include the words "London calling from the faraway towns, now war is declared and battle come down/ London calling to the underworld, come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls."
Mann, 24, also asked the driver to play "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, which begins, "The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands, to fight the horde singing and crying Valhalla, I'm coming!"
The driver alerted airport authorities and Mann was arrested as he boarded a flight for London's Heathrow Airport. He missed the flight and later took a taxi home.
Durham Police said the plane took off before they had established that the man was not a threat.
"In this case the report was made with the best of intentions and we would not want to discourage people from contacting us with genuine concerns regarding security," police said in a statement.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mann was quoted as saying the incident was "preposterous."
"I never, ever play the race card, I really do forget I'm Asian," he was quoted as saying. "But when something like this happens, it does make you think."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/05/clash_fan_terrorist/print.html
Clash fan nicked
By John Oates
Published Wednesday 5th April 2006 11:36 GMT
A man from Teeside was dragged from a plane and questioned for three hours under the Terrorism Act after a cabbie reported him because he was worried about his choice of music.
Harraj Mann, from Teeside, suffered the interogation after he got a cab to Durham airport and plugged his MP3 player into the taxi's stereo.
After playing Procol Harem, which the cabbie enjoyed, he played the Clash's London Calling and Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song. These clearly didn't go down so well because the taxi driver reported his passenger to police once they arrived at Durham airport.
Mr Mann was hauled off the plane to London and questioned. He was released without charge and caught a later flight. More from Reuters here. (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-04-05T101158Z_01_L05785309_RTRUKOC_0_UK-CLASH.xml&archived=False)
It is not the first time Clash lyrics have attracted the wrath of UK authorities. In June 2004 Bristol man Mike Devine was arrested at his office after sending a text message including words from the Clash song Tommy Gun. There was speculation as to how the text message came to police attention - they insisted Devine had mis-sent the text and that they don't spend all their time reading everyone's messages. Click here (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/03/text_punk/) for more.
Devine was released once he'd convinced investigators he played in a tribute band. ®
Mr. Mann, have you tried The Beach Boys? They're "Fun, Fun, Fun", and won't upset the airport authorities.
S-A, T-U-R, D-A-Y... Night!
Isn't that 'cue' the Viking Kitties? A queue is a line. In other words, "line up the Viking Kitties."
Just please, mister, please don't play B-17...
The only lefty band I ever liked.
Actually, that line sounds vaguely Wagnerian, hehehe.
Remember, you're talking about that silly lil' island with a ridiculous royal family, bad weather, crappy food, and warm beer.....
I guess "Guns of Brixton" would have been a bad choice, too.
I guess when the cabbie heard the next two songs he turned his own whiter shade of pale...
Ooops. Another Freeping at work casualty.
I'm usually so careful about my spelling and phraseology.
But your ears won't be.
It was our song, it was his song, but it's ooooooooover...
Hey!
The guys a Freeper!
What's up with that?
Friggin Brits.
ulululululululululululululululu
ulululululululululululululululu
ulululululululululululululululu
ulululululululululululululululu
ulululululululululululululululu
I can betcha they did this because he is a Sikh.
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