Because the comment was “not in line with our values,” the airline stated that it “removed a mistakenly posted comment” and that the staff member who submitted it “no longer supports Delta’s social channels.”
Thursday saw Delta Airlines issue an apology after a post on its X account expressed sympathy for a post that falsely claimed that two flight attendants sporting pins of the Palestinian flag were donning “Hamas badges.”
Tuesday, a person on X with the handle “ilikeTeslas” tweeted: “Since 2001, we remove our shoes in airports due to terrorist attacks occurring on US land. Imagine now boarding a @Delta flight and seeing staff members flying around wearing Hamas badges. How do you go about things?
On Wednesday, the Delta Air Lines X account responded, saying, “I understand your fear; I would be scared too. When our policy is broken, it is not taken lightly by us because our employees are a reflection of our culture.
Later on, that reply was removed.
The largest Muslim advocacy group in the US, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, denounced the airline for the “racist anti-Palestinian tweet” and called for an apology as well as more training for employees.
Delta said in a statement on Thursday that it “removed a mistakenly posted comment on X Wednesday because it was not in line with our values and our mission to connect the world.”
“The team member who wrote the post has received counseling and has decided to stop using Delta’s social media platforms. We regret this error,” the business continued.
The original tweet’s incorrect assertion that a “Palestinian flag pin worn by a flight attendant was a ‘Hamas badge,'” according to CAIR, made it detrimental.
The tricolor Palestinian flag, which features a red triangle on the left side and stripes of black, white, and green, symbolizes the Palestinian people. The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism states that the Islamist terrorist group Hamas has a distinctive flag with a green backdrop and white text of the Shahada, an Islamic declaration of faith.
CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement, “Delta must apologize and take steps to educate its employees about this type of dangerous anti-Palestinian racism, regardless of whether this racist post on Delta’s X account was approved or not.”
“Workplace and school bigotry against Palestinian-Americans is completely out of control, and it needs to end,” he continued.
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According to Delta, the images in the initial post showed flight attendants on several flights on various days. It declined to provide precise flight information.
The airline stated that neither flight attendant had been dismissed for donning the pins because they both adhered to Delta’s uniform policies and that it was in contact with the staff to provide support.
Nevertheless, as of July 15, Delta will be changing its pin allowance policy. Only American flags will be allowed to be worn on uniforms as of that point, according to the firm. “Previously, pins representing countries/nationalities of the world had been permitted.”
“We are taking this step to help ensure a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all,” Delta stated. “We are proud of our diverse base of employees and customers and the foundation of our brand, which is to connect the world and provide a premium experience.”
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On X, the since-deleted tweet incited fury. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research president and Palestinian American imam Omar Suleiman responded on Twitter, saying, “These airlines won’t learn until you stop giving them business @Delta #BoycottDelta.”
“Am I understanding you correctly? What connection does 9/11 have with the Palestinians? Isn’t the screenshot as a whole the ideal representation of actual racism and Islamophobia? Really pathetic. Only in America, penned a different X user.
An additional person said, “As a Palestinian American, I will make it a point to #BoycottDelta because of your racism and devaluation of Palestinian lives and rights.”
The Palestinian flag has evolved into a representation of people’s solidarity with one another during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that over 38,000 people have died in Gaza throughout the conflict, while over 1,200 individuals, including troops and civilians, were killed in Israel during Hamas’ offensive on October 7.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the continued Israeli strikes in Gaza have caused a humanitarian crisis, displacing up to 1.9 million people domestically, some of whom have been relocated nine or ten times.
The conflict has sparked protests all around the world, notably in the United States, where there have been antisemitic, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic events reported more frequently. Protests have also broken out on college campuses.
SOURCE : NBC NEWS
