Tweet Facebook Mail American comedian and actor Eric Andre says he was racially profiled at Melbourne Airport after he was "pulled out of a lineup" and searched by sniffer dogs following a recent flight. In a video posted to Instagram yesterday, Andre said he had been travelling on planes for 25 hours, from New York to Los Angeles and then Melbourne to Brisbane, where he was filming for work. At Melbourne Airport, Andre said he was "pulled out of a lineup and put in a special line in Melbourne where I was sniffed thoroughly by a dog".
READ MORE: British tech giant among those missing after luxury superyacht sinks Eric Andre said he was now seeking a lawyer. (Supplied/Instagram) "It's one of the many times I've been racially profiled at the airport," he added. "So, this is a message for all Black, brown, and Indigenous people travelling through Melbourne today, especially if you're travelling through Qantas International by Terminal 2: Please be careful.
" The actor and comedian said he was looking to engage a discrimination lawyer over the incident and was also seeking information about what proportion of passengers pulled aside for extra checks by security at the airport were white and people of colour. Andre, who hosts The Eric Andre Show, said next time he was in Australia, he did not want to travel through Melbourne Airport alone as he did not feel safe there. "I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports," he said.
"I don't want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so that I'm treated like a first-class citizen. "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.
I doubt it yields any safer world for anybody in Melbourne or Australia." Eric Andre claims he was racially profiled at Melbourne airport. (Another Planet Entertainment) Melbourne Airport did not immediately respond to 9news.
com.au's requests for comment. In a comment made on Andre's Instagram post, a spokesperson for Melbourne Airport said it was investigating the comedian's claims.
"Melbourne Airport does not tolerate racism in any form," the comment 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 and other Australian international gateways. "Melbourne Airport is proudly the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
"We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally." Andre has previously alleged he was racially profiled at an airport in Atlanta. In 2022, he and another comedian, Clayton English, sued the airport, however the case was dismissed and is currently being appealed by the pair.
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