Source: BBC
A French court has found Air France guilty of discrimination for removing a pro-Palestinian activist from a flight to Israel because she was not Jewish.
The court also ordered the airline to pay 13,000 euros (£11,000; $17,000) in fines and damages.
Horia Ankour had planned to fly to Tel Aviv from Nice to join other activists in a pro-Palestinian campaign.
Air France said she was on a list undesirables provided by Israel. The company said it would appeal.
‘Flytilla’ campaign
The incident happened during what was dubbed by the media the “flytilla” campaign in April 2012 – when hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists sought to fly to Israel and then make their way to the occupied West Bank.
Shortly before take-off last April, Ms Ankour, a 30-year-old nursing student, was asked by an Air France employee whether she had an Israeli passport or was Jewish.
She answered “No” to both questions, and was then escorted off the plane.
The French court on Thursday concluded this was a clear-cut case of racial discrimination.
Source: ARABNEWS
Friday 5 April 2013
PARIS: A French court yesterday ordered Air France to pay a 10,000 euro ($ 12,800) fine for having ordered a pro-Palestinian activist off a flight to Tel Aviv because she was not Jewish.
The court also ordered the French flagship carrier to pay 3,000 euros in damages to the passenger and her legal fees. Horia Ankour, a nursing student, had attempted to fly to Israel from France last April to take part in the “Welcome to Palestine” campaign, which saw hundreds of activists seek access to Israel in a bid to travel to the Palestinian territories.
Europe’s main airlines faced a wave of passenger fury during the campaign after canceling some 300 tickets following heavy Israeli pressure. Ankour was taken off the plane in the southeastern city of Nice after an Air France employee asked whether she had an Israeli passport and then, when she replied “no,” whether she was Jewish.
When the 30-year-old answered “no” again she was escorted from the flight.
some welcome good News from France.