Eric André has detailed an alleged incident he experienced while travelling through Melbourne Airport in Australia over the weekend. The 41-year-old actor and comedian claims he was racially abused while travelling to Brisbane for work, and he addressed this in a heartfelt video shared on social media.
“So, I was on a plane for over 25 hours. I flew from New York City to Los Angeles, then Los Angeles to Melbourne, then Melbourne to Brisbane to shoot something, and I got detained,” André explained in a video he shared on both Instagram and TikTok. “I was taken out of a queue and put in a special queue in Melbourne, where I got sniffed by a dog. These dogs are not very effective.”
“I’ve heard statistics that they’re 80% to 90% ineffective at detecting what they’re supposed to detect,” he continued, confirming in the caption of his TikTok video that the real statistic is closer to 75%.
@ericandre ♬ original sound – Eric Andre
“It was one of the many times I was racially profiled at the airport,” André said, perhaps referring to a “dehumanizing and demoralizing” incident he claims he experienced at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2021. He filed a lawsuit against the airport in 2022 with comedian Clayton English, but that lawsuit was later dismissed. Earlier this year, the two comedians filed an appeal against the dismissal of the lawsuit.
“This is a message to all Black, brown and Indigenous people passing through Melbourne today, especially if you’re passing through Qantas International from Terminal 2, please be careful,” André warned. “They are looking for Black, brown and Indigenous people. Please let me know the names of the officers with the dogs or what this program is. If anyone has information on an Australian lawyer who is discriminating, all ears are open.”
He also asked if anyone had information on how often passengers of color are stopped compared to white passengers. Born in Boca Raton, Florida, André is of both Ashkenazi Jewish and Afro-Haitian descent.
“And anyone who hires me in Australia from now on, whether it’s a production or a tour, please don’t make me go through Melbourne Airport alone,” André continued. “Please provide me with a police escort or some kind of security escort or fly me directly to Brisbane or Sydney. I don’t feel safe at Melbourne Airport. I don’t want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against at these airports anymore.”
“I don't want to cut my hair and put on a three-piece suit so I can be treated like a first-class citizen,” he reasoned. “I shouldn't be made to feel like I'm not accepted when I enter a country. Shame on the people at Melbourne Airport who have this ridiculous procedure. I doubt it will make for a safer world for Melbourne or anyone in Australia.”
“I would love to get the statistics on what comes out of this program,” André added, asking again if anyone had more information about the “Giuliani stop-and-frisk nonsense program.” “It’s unethical and unsafe—it creates a less safe experience for black, brown, indigenous, and immigrant passengers. It has nothing to do with safety, it’s all about racial harassment.”
Melbourne Airport addressed André in a statement under his Instagram post, stating that they “do not tolerate racism in any form.”
“We are following up on your complaint with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), who are responsible for processing all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways,” the note states. “Melbourne Airport is proudly the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world. We welcome ALL travellers to Melbourne and expect everyone to be treated equally.”
Given André's ongoing lawsuit with Atlanta airport, it seems unlikely this will be the last heard of the alleged incident in Melbourne.
