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Airline Passengers Explain Pair's Removal
BBC News ^ | 8/20/06 | BBC News

Posted on 08/20/2006 2:10:04 PM PDT by World_Events

Passengers on a Manchester-bound flight have described how two men were removed from the plane because other travellers thought they were speaking Arabic. Heath Schofield, a passenger on the flight from Malaga, described it as being a "bit like Chinese whispers".

Monarch Airlines said passengers had demanded the men were removed because they were acting suspiciously.

Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said it was disgraceful the pair seemed to have been judged on their skin colour.

The men - reported to be of Asian or Middle Eastern appearance - were taken from Wednesday's flight ZB 613 and questioned but were allowed to fly back to the UK later in the week.

Refusal to board

Mr Schofield, who was travelling with his wife Jo and their children, said: "We all started boarding the flight.

Heath and Jo Schofield were on the Manchester flight

"Our daughter noticed a couple of guys that were perhaps acting a bit strange. They went to the front of the queue, went to the back of the queue, and then they went and sat down by themselves.

"Anyway, we got on the plane and we boarded and it became apparent after we were already supposed to be flying that several of the passengers had refused to board the craft.

"A few rumours went round, it was a little bit like Chinese whispers, and then some more people decided they were getting off."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airlinesecurity; behavioralprofiling; manchester; mutiny; passengerrevolt; prejudice; wot
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To: speekinout
You probably saw a Hindu. Just goes to show how many people don't know what a "muzlim" looks like.

Like I say, they are rare in my neck of the woods...Whatever he was, he'd be smart to switch the draperies for a baseball hat...Seems it's serve the same purpose...

81 posted on 08/20/2006 4:10:45 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: Iscool

You probably saw a Sikh. You have nothing to fear from him. The Muzzies, however, might.


82 posted on 08/20/2006 4:13:25 PM PDT by gridlock (The 'Pubbies will pick up at least TWO seats in the Senate and FOUR seats in the House in 2006)
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To: NittanyLion
They no doubt wanted to get a look at the dumbass who was making ethnic slurs.

Wasn't ethnic at all...He may have been a blue eyed Scandinavian for all I know...

Apparently you don't know the difference between race and religion either...

83 posted on 08/20/2006 4:13:59 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: gridlock

Hey man, I'm one of two Republicans in my 80 unit Condo. I have to have a no no list to prevent me from confronting my neighbors. Just the other day one told me that some iceberg melting in Antartica was a more important issue then the "Fake" war Bush started. I politly went up stairs and in the privacy of my bathroom, while I flushed the toilet, called him every name in the book.It was either that or deck him.


84 posted on 08/20/2006 4:15:48 PM PDT by TET1968 (SI MINOR PLUS EST ERGO NIHIL SUNT OMNIA)
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To: Iscool

> A few weeks ago, I was at one of the local 'box' stores...This person comes walking thru the parking lot...He's talking on a cell phone and he's got what must be a bedspread wrapped around his head...Looked like a large beehive...

If his headgear looked like a large beehive, then chances are this gentleman was a Sikh, not a Muslim. Alternatively, he could have been Rastafarian (tho' their headgear tends to resemble tea-cosys more than beehives).

If so, you are fortunate he didn't tan your ignorant hide for your rude remark. What gives you license to be impolite to perfect strangers?


85 posted on 08/20/2006 4:15:54 PM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (I am the Chieftain of my Clan. I bow to nobody. Get out of my way.)
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To: Iscool
Wasn't ethnic at all...He may have been a blue eyed Scandinavian for all I know...Apparently you don't know the difference between race and religion either...

And apparently you don't know the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim. If I were one of the onlookers, I'd have told your wife to take the moron standing next to her home and explain the difference between the two.

86 posted on 08/20/2006 4:19:45 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: World_Events
Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said it was disgraceful the pair seemed to have been judged on their skin colour.

According to this article and others, it is apparent that the two were judged by their behavior. It is disgraceful that a Member of Parliament seems to have judged passengers based upon the color of their skin. MP Khalid Mahmood should apologize for his blatantly anti-white racist remark.
87 posted on 08/20/2006 4:33:20 PM PDT by ChessExpert (Mohamed was not a moderate Muslim)
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To: NittanyLion
And apparently you don't know the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim. If I were one of the onlookers, I'd have told your wife to take the moron standing next to her home and explain the difference between the two.

You'd have been the only one...

88 posted on 08/20/2006 4:34:20 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: TET1968

We can not trust (8) (c) the Tooth Fairy, either.


89 posted on 08/20/2006 4:36:09 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: TET1968

Thanks , I have added it to my list.

"May 13,1981, 23-year-old Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca shot Pope John Paul II three times."


90 posted on 08/20/2006 4:37:59 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: gridlock
I have never heard of Portuguese being mistaken for anything other than Spanish. And in my neighborhood, we know Portuguese

Right! Spanish is my native language and I have spoken with people who only speak Portuguese... both languages are similar enough that we could understand each other. Mistaken for Arabic? My foot!

91 posted on 08/20/2006 4:45:20 PM PDT by Former Fetus (fetuses are 100% pro-life, they just don't vote yet!)
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To: DieHard the Hunter
If so, you are fortunate he didn't tan your ignorant hide for your rude remark.

That's the least of my concern...

What gives you license to be impolite to perfect strangers?

We have enough wimps, sissies and globalists that will allow izlam to take over America...I'm not one of 'em...If yer a muzlim and I insult you, to bad, so sad, get out of my country...

Even if this fella wasn't a muzlim, he certainly would have recognized he didn't fit in with the background...If I wear Bermuda's to the Emmy Awards, folks are going to look and some will comment...Oh well...

I'm not one of you politically correct, go along to get along types, and I have no intention of apologizing for it...

I'll still be one of the 'Let's Roll' crowd while you're studying the Koran with a knife to your throat...

92 posted on 08/20/2006 4:48:38 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: Iscool
You'd have been the only one...

I'm sure I would have. Most people don't speak up in the face of ignorance, probably because they don't want to get personally involved. That's why even though every one of those folks were certainly embarrassed for your wife and the Sikh, they said nothing. I take a different approach.

93 posted on 08/20/2006 4:54:38 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: ga medic

I would suggest then that he wear his crucifix prominently and perhaps that would allay people's fears. In this case it wasn't just what the men looked like, it was their behavior and what they were wearing.


94 posted on 08/20/2006 5:02:25 PM PDT by visualops (artlife.us)
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To: Iscool

> I'll still be one of the 'Let's Roll' crowd while you're studying the Koran with a knife to your throat...

You're as tough and brave as Todd Beamer and Alan Beavan and the others who fought back on Flight 93? Shyeah, right mate...! ROTFLMAO! Easy to say, hard to do, and I hope you never have to prove it...

If you want to shoot your mouth off and upset Sikhs, go right ahead, with my blessing: one day one of them might take offense and rightly clean your clock. On that day you'd give a whole new meaning to "Let's Roll."


95 posted on 08/20/2006 5:07:54 PM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (I am the Chieftain of my Clan. I bow to nobody. Get out of my way.)
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To: Iscool

And you called attention to a Sikh who are not in league with the murderous Islamaniacs. You need to get out more.


96 posted on 08/20/2006 5:10:06 PM PDT by justshutupandtakeit (If you believe ANYTHING in the Treason Media you are a fool.)
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To: TET1968

You should have just asked him "what should the temperature of the world be?" Just ask them questions pointing out their absurdity.


97 posted on 08/20/2006 5:12:13 PM PDT by justshutupandtakeit (If you believe ANYTHING in the Treason Media you are a fool.)
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To: World_Events

I can't help wondering if those two fellows weren't traveling to
Manchester for a particular reason.

Which can be found in the last sentence of the linked article:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686661/posts


98 posted on 08/20/2006 5:12:42 PM PDT by VOA
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To: World_Events
If I see some men of any race, wearing heavy coats in August, acting weird and constantly looking at their watches, I might pull my family off a plane. You add to the fact that they seemingly are of Middle Eastern descent, speaking what seems to be arabic...WAY too many red flags. I'm outta there.

Call me Kooky

99 posted on 08/20/2006 5:13:25 PM PDT by cobaltblu
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To: VOA

Good eye!!!


100 posted on 08/20/2006 5:15:03 PM PDT by cobaltblu
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