United passenger says crew ordered him to change controversial T-shirt before he could travel
A man from New Jersey He said he had to change into an anti-war T-shirt before boarding a United Airlines flight after a flight attendant found the message offensive.
Sam Saadeh, of Linden, New Jersey, said he was wearing a T-shirt that said “Bombing children is not self-defense” as he boarded a flight from Atlanta to Newark Liberty International Airport on June 4. According to CBS New York.
Saadeh said he was “very confused” when he was pulled over.
“He said, ‘Hey, the flight attendant finds your shirt offensive,'” Saadeh said. “‘From where?’ I thought. It says: ‘Here are the choices. “Either you change your shirt or you can’t get on this plane.”
According to CBS New York, Saadeh said he eventually changed shirts because he wanted to return home, but described the interaction as humiliating and airline staff failed to explain why the message violated company policy.
United Airlines confirmed to Fox News Digital that Saadeh boarded the plane after changing his shirt.
A United Airlines flight bound for LAX turned back mid-flight after a “potential safety concern.”
“This customer flew as planned after changing his shirt,” a United Media Relations spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “That’s all we have to share.”
United’s Contract of Carriage states that the airline may refuse to carry passengers who are “not properly dressed or whose attire is inappropriate.” obscene, obscene or offensive“
Fox News Digital did not independently verify the passenger’s account, and United declined to provide additional details about why the shirt was deemed offensive.
Saadeh, who is of Palestinian descent, told CBS New York that was the purpose of the shirt. advocate for children and oppose violence regardless of nationality or ethnicity. He also said he filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation and consulted with attorneys.
Wear the Peace, the organization behind the shirt, also posted screenshots on Facebook of what it said was Saadeh sending an email describing the incident.
In the email, Saadeh wrote that a United flight attendant first asked what his shirt said, then a supervisor asked him to get off the plane.
According to the email, the supervisor told Saadeh that the flight attendant was upset that the shirt contained the word “bomb” and told him she would have to change it or the shirt would not be allowed. stay in flight.
Saadeh also wrote that after landing in Newark, a United representative told him that other passengers had complained because they found the shirt offensive and did not feel safe.
Wear the Peace said in a Facebook post that the shirt was “a peaceful statement, not a threat” aimed at drawing attention to child deaths in Gaza.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft prepares for takeoff from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10, 2025. A United flight was diverted to Pittsburgh on Saturday after a reported security issue.
“The message does not incite violence, threaten anyone, or imply that the person wearing the message intends to harm others,” the organization wrote.
In a follow-up Facebook post, the organization disputed the statement that the word “bomb” raised concerns, arguing that there was an important distinction between the phrase “Bombing children is not self-defense” and language implying a passenger posed a threat.
“The shirt did not say ‘I have a bomb.'” “Bombing children is not self-defense,” the organization said, adding that clothing with words like “TNT” or “killer” is generally not considered a safety concern.
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Wear the Peace also claimed that one of its members had recently flown on a plane. United flight alongside a passenger He wore his Israel Defense Forces shirt without incident, arguing that the airline had applied its policy inconsistently.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Department of Transportation to confirm receipt of Saadeh’s complaint, to learn whether the agency is reviewing the incident, and to request comment on allegations that a passenger was required to change clothes before being allowed to travel.
Original article source: United passenger says crew ordered him to change controversial t-shirt before trip
