American actor and comedian Eric André has taken to Instagram to allege he was "racially profiled" when entering the country at Melbourne Airport. / (min cost $ 0 ) or signup to continue reading In a , the comedian accused the airport of "searching black, brown and Indigenous people" and said he was "put into a special line" and "sniffed thoroughly by a dog". "It's one of the many times I've been racially profiled at the airport," Mr André said.
Mr André said he was flying from Los Angeles to Brisbane, to shoot something with a transfer at on the way. He asked anyone hiring him for future Australian projects to fly him into Sydney or Brisbane instead, and that he not be made to fly into Melbourne without a police or security escort. "I shouldn't be made to feel that I am unaccepted by entering a country, shame on the people at the Melbourne airport that have this cockamamie procedure.
" He asked his followers for contacts for Australian discrimination lawyers and further information on the "dog sniffing program". In a reply to Mr Andre's post, Melbourne Airport said it "does not tolerate racism in any form". "Melbourne Airport is proudly the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world," they said.
"We are following up your complaint with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) who are in charge of processing all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport. "We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne and we expect everyone to be treated equally." Australian Border Force replied to Mr André saying they had confirmed it was "not a Border Force detector dog or interaction".
"Here at the ABF we are really proud of our diverse workforce, especially at Melbourne Airport, and the work they undertake - both human and canine - to keep the country safe." Border Force wished Mr André a wonderful stay in Australia. Morning news editor on the ACM national digital team.
Do you have a story that should be told? Email me at [email protected].
au Morning news editor on the ACM national digital team. Do you have a story that should be told? Email me at ayden.dawkins@austcommunitymedia.
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