Australian porn star Elle Knox says she was escorted off a United Airlines flight after making a speech about the protests taking place across the United States in response to the unjust killing of Black Americans.
Knox, who addressed her fellow passengers on a flight from Houston to San Francisco en route to Sydney on Tuesday, recounted the incident on Twitter earlier this week.
“This isn’t my country, I’m an Australian,” she said she told an estimated 300 passengers onboard. “But I’ve noticed your democracy being threatened. Do not be complacent. Decide what side of history you’d like to be on.”
Knox wrote that after being escorted off the plane when it landed in San Francisco, she was told that her speech “scared people” and that she couldn’t make a political statement on a United Airlines flight.
I’ve been told I scared people when I made the announcement!
Even though everyone applauded me when I was escorted off.
If I stood up and asked people to wish my friend a happy birthday this wouldn’t be an issue.
— Elle Knox 🌙🌻 (@ElleKnoxxxAu) June 2, 2020
I was told I couldn’t make a political statements on a United Airline, I told them this was a Human Rights statement.
— Elle Knox 🌙🌻 (@ElleKnoxxxAu) June 2, 2020
“If I stood up and asked people to wish my friend a happy birthday this wouldn’t be an issue,” Knox wrote on Twitter.
After tweeting that she was told she may not be able to catch her next flight to Sydney, Knox eventually shared that she made it home “after much debate.”
“DO NOT BE SILENT,” Knox tweeted, urging her followers to sign petitions and donate to bail funds.
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
Use your voice, please sign ever petition & donate to bail out funds.
— Elle Knox 🌙🌻 (@ElleKnoxxxAu) June 2, 2020
However, while Knox claimed she was escorted off the flight due to the nature of her comments, a rep for United Airlines said law enforcement got involved because Knox refused to sit while the plane was taxiing, the New York Post reported.
“As the plane landed, she got up and started yelling,” said Frank Benenati, a spokesperson for United Airlines, who added that the content of Knox’s speech had nothing to do with her removal from the plane. “You can’t stand on an active runway. Nobody can. It’s a safety issue.”
“This customer refused to follow strict crewmember instructions about standing up while our flight attendants were in their jump seats and the aircraft was taxiing on the runway,” United Airlines said in a statement.
“Law enforcement involvement was entirely due to the safety and security of the passengers, crew, and the aircraft itself. After speaking with the customer regarding this incident — who later apologized for her actions — she was allowed to continue her journey to Sydney.”
Since the story went viral, Knox has spoken out again, urging journalists and media platforms to focus on elevating Black voices instead of Knox’s own story.
This is disappointing!
News should be amplify black voices & police brutality during this time
Not sharing a small inconvenience I had for addressing ppl about the danger of tear gas & rubber bullets!
What happened to me isnt shocking people losing eyes from rubber bullets is
— Elle Knox 🌙🌻 (@ElleKnoxxxAu) June 3, 2020
In a tweet, Knox expressed her disappointment with the media attention her story attracted, writing that news should “amplify black voices & police brutality during this time.”
“What happened to me isn’t shocking,” she wrote. “People losing eyes from rubber bullets is.”
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