Eric André says he was ‘racially profiled’ while traveling through Melbourne Airport in Australia.
On Sunday, August 18, the Emmy-nominated comedian The Eric Andre Show41, shared a video on Instagram revealing that he had just finished a 25-hour road trip that included stops in Los Angeles, Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia for filming.
However, during a stopover in Melbourne, André said he was “locked up” and “pulled out of the line-up and put in a special line”, where he was “thoroughly sniffed by a dog”.
“Those dogs are pretty ineffective,” he said, later adding, “This is one of the many times I’ve been racially profiled at the airport. So this is a message for all black, brown and aboriginal people traveling through Melbourne today, especially if you’re traveling Qantas International Terminal 2: Be careful.”
“They’re looking for blacks, browns and natives,” André added. “Please let me know if anyone knows the names of those police officers with the dogs or what the program is. If anyone has any information on an Australian discrimination lawyer I’m all ears.”
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Later in his video message, André — who previously said he was racially profiled at Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport in 2021 and later took legal action — also asked his followers if they could send him statistics about how many “people of color placed in this dog-sniffing line” compared to white passengers.
“Whoever hires me to work in Australia in the future, whether it’s a production or a tour, please don’t make me go through Melbourne airport by myself,” André said. “Please provide me with a police escort or some sort of security escort or let me fly directly to Brisbane or Sydney. I do not feel safe at Melbourne airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against in those airports anymore.”
“I don’t want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit to be treated like a first-class citizen,” he continued. “I shouldn’t be made to feel unwelcome entering a country. Shame on the people at Melbourne airport who are subjected to this procedure. I doubt it makes for any safer world for anyone in Melbourne or Australia.”
A view of Melbourne Airport on July 20, 2024.
Asanka Ratnayake/Getty
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Melbourne Airport’s Instagram account left a comment under André’s post just hours after he shared it, with a message addressed to “Eric” saying he “does not tolerate racism in any form”.
“We are following up 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 response read. “Melbourne Airport is proud to be the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world. We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne and expect to be treated equally.”
Melbourne Airport and Qantas did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment on Monday.
At the end of his video, which was shown on his account with a picture of a dog at an airport, André again asked his followers for more information about the program, which he called “a stupid Giuliani stop-and-frisk-esque program.” He also called the program “unethical” and “less safe” for black, brown and indigenous airline passengers.
“It has nothing to do with security,” André said. “It has everything to do with racial harassment.”
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Source: HIS Education