Qantas Refuses to Fly Man with Anti-Bush T-Shirt

An Australian man said he is considering suing national carrier Qantas for refusing to let him onto an international flight because he would not take off a T-shirt calling U.S. President George W. Bush a terrorist.

Allen Jasson said Monday he was turned away last Friday at a Qantas departure gate in the southern city of Melbourne when he tried to board a flight to London while wearing a shirt with the a picture of Bush and the slogan "World's 1 terrorist."

Qantas Airways Ltd. said in a statement: "Whether made verbally or on a T-shirt, comments with the potential to offend other customers or threaten the security of a Qantas group aircraft will not be tolerated."

Jasson said he wore the shirt unchallenged through official security checks, then approached a Qantas staff member at the gate to draw attention to it because he had been asked to remove it before boarding a domestic flight days earlier.

"I raised the issue, but I wanted primarily to thank Qantas for relenting when he told me: `I'm surprised you got this far, the staff should have stopped you,'" Jasson said.

Jasson, an Australian who lives in London, said Qantas had offered to put him on another flight if he does not wear the shirt. But he has so far declined.

"I might forfeit the fare but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech," he said.

He said he was considering suing the airline, but it was not immediately clear under what law.

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