John Gilmore boarded a British Airways flight to London but was asked to leave the aircraft shortly before take-off when he refused to remove a lapel pin he was wearing that said “suspected terrorist”.
Presumably concerned that it might unnerve the other passengers, a flight attendant who noticed the pin asked him to remove it, John refused to do so and the captain was called. The captain also asked him to remove the pin but John maintained his principled stance and again refused. So they turned the plane around and took John, and the three hundred other passengers on board, back to the departure gate, where John, his pin and sweetheart Annie disembarked.
I’m with Michele on this one:
Gilmore's wearing of that button was nothing more than him stating "Hey, look at me, I'm here to cause controversy!" That was most likely his only statement. I do understand the sentiment behind the words "suspected terrorist," in a way everyone is suspect these days. But I have better sense than to disrupt everyone around me in order to make my views known.On second thoughts, if John is so attached to that pin maybe they should be allowed at least one plane-ride together. Because I’d like to see John and that pin of his on a long-haul flight, sat between Misha and Kim du Toit, two guys who share John’s interest in American freedoms.
I feel sure there would be a lively debate.
