Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Gatwick airport apologises for fashion police incident

Gatwick airport has apologised to a 38-year-old children's soccer coach after a security officer asked him to turn his T-shirt inside out because it was "a bit threatening". Lloyd Berks was pulled aside while queuing at the Sussex gateway with his partner and two children on 27 February as he prepared to board a flight to Austria.

The soccer coach, from Bexley in Kent, was then told by security staff that the 'freedom or die' slogan on his T-shirt might cause anxiety and that he should hide it from view. "The guy who checked me told me to turn my T-shirt inside out," Mr Berks said.


Photo from here.

He explained "I thought he was joking at first. It is turquoise and white, it is just a design T-shirt, it is not gothic or in your face and the slogan is quite small. I thought it was funny at first but you have to think about people's civil liberties. They could see we were a family travelling together. I was hardly a terrorist risk."

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport apologised for the incident and said that scrutinising clothing slogans is not part of its security procedures. "London Gatwick does not apply a policy relating to appropriate or inappropriate T-shirt slogans worn by passengers passing through airport security. While safety and security are our highest priorities, we also expect staff to apply common sense and judgment.

1 comment:

arbroath said...

I think they'd have a point if the slogan was bigger.  I'd be a little nervous getting on a plane with someone who had "freedom or die" plastered across their shirt.  But in this case, I can't even see the words.  It's just an ugly t-shirt.

Still, he's 38.  Shouldn't he be wearing big-boy clothes by now?