Eric Andre Says He Was Racially Profiled At Australian Airport: I Didn't 'Feel Safe'
Comedian and actor Eric Andre has charged that he recently faced racial harassment and discrimination while traveling through the Melbourne Airport in Australia.
Andre described his experience at the Melbourne Airport in an Instagram video he uploaded on Sunday, alleging he was put in a line where he was “sniffed thoroughly by a dog.”
The Black, biracial comedian said he had traveled from New York City to Brisbane, Australia, to film a project. He explained that he had been on a series of flights for more than 25 hours, with stops in Los Angeles and Melbourne.
“It’s like one of the many times I’ve been racially profiled at the airport,” Andre said. “So this is a message for all Black, brown and Indigenous people traveling through Melbourne today ... please be careful.”
“They are searching Black, brown and Indigenous people,” he added, before asking his Instagram followers to share any information they might have on Melbourne Airport’s policies on its sniffer dogs.
He also asked his followers for any leads on attorneys in Australia who focus on racial discrimination cases.
“Anybody hiring me to work in Australia going forward, whether it’s a production or a tour, please don’t make me go through the Melbourne Airport alone,” he said. “Please provide a police escort or some type of security escort for me. Or have me fly into Brisbane or Sydney directly.”
“I do not feel safe in the Melbourne Airport,” he said. “I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports.”
A spokesperson for the Melbourne Airport told HuffPost that the airport “does not tolerate racism in any form.”
“We welcome all passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally,” the spokesperson said, adding that the airport asked other Australian government agencies “in charge of processing all international arrivals into Australia” to investigate the matter.
“Those agencies have now provided a response to Mr Andre,” the representative said.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) told NBC News that all passengers arriving in Australia are “part of biosecurity screening processes for things such as fresh fruit or vegetables, plants and food, or soil on footwear or recreational equipment.”
“Any traveler coming into Australia will experience some or all of these screening measures,” the spokesperson said, listing “general screening with the assistance of our highly trained dogs” as one of its screening measures.
Andre has spoken out about racial profiling before.
In 2021, he said he was racially profiled by law enforcement agents at the Atlanta airport.
Andre and fellow comedian Clayton English filed a lawsuit the following year alleging they were racially profiled and illegally stopped in separate incidents by Clayton County, Georgia, officers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Their lawyers filed an appeal on their behalf in January after the lawsuit was dismissed.