| Protests cause flight chaos on Qantas |
Three passengers were removed from a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Darwin after refusing to take their seats and buckle up.
The disturbance was in protest of a transfer of an asylum seeker on the same flight, refusing to sit unless the refugee was allowed to get off the plane.
The flight was reportedly delayed by about 50 minutes after the passengers were removed and met by the Australian Federal Police.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the issue had been "resolved."
A 25-year-old Tamil man known as Puvaneethan, was being transferred from Maribyrnong detention centre in Melbourne to Darwin, possibly to be deported to Sri Lanka.
Protesters gathered outside the detention centre the morning of the flight to try and stop the transfer.
When that failed, they then gathered at Tullamarine airport and handed leaflets to passengers on the same flight urging them to help stop the transfer.
A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection confirmed that Puvaneethan was returned to Maribyrnong today.
The organisations against the transfer also took to social media to garner support.
| HAVE YOUR SAY!!! - What do you think about this story? Tell us here. |
|
