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Eric Andre describes the incident of racism at Melbourne Airport

In a unusually serious Video, Comedian Eric Andre recounts his experience of racial discrimination while flying through Australia's Melbourne airport this weekend. “The only thing more racist than American customs is Australian and New Zealand customs,” he said in a video posted on social media, before explaining: “I was detained. I was pulled out of a queue and put in a special queue… where I was thoroughly sniffed by a dog.” “These dogs are pretty ineffective… when it comes to tracking down whatever they're trying to sniff out,” Andre added.

“This is one of the many times I have been racially discriminated against at the airport,” he continued. In 2022, Andre and fellow comedian Clayton English legal action initiated after a similar incident allegedly occurred at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. Now it sends a “message to all Black, Brown and Indigenous people travelling through Melbourne today,” particularly if they plan to fly internationally with Qantas. (The airline did not immediately respond to The AV ClubPlease comment on this story.)

“Please be careful,” he said. “They're frisking black, brown and aboriginal people.” Andre also asked his followers to give him any information they have on the names of the officers with the dogs, what this “program” is and/or information on an Australian discrimination lawyer. He also asked for information on “statistically how many people of color they put in this dog sniffing line compared to white passengers.” In all seriousness, he stressed, “Anyone who hires me in the future to work in Australia, whether it's for a production or a tour, please do not let me walk through Melbourne Airport alone. I do not feel safe at Melbourne Airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against at these airports anymore.” He added, “I do not want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so I can be treated like a first-class citizen.”

In a comment on Andre's Instagram post, the official Melbourne Airport account said it was investigating the comedian's complaint. “Melbourne Airport does not tolerate any form of racism,” the account said. “We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne and expect everyone to be treated equally.”

For Andre, who compared the “dog sniffing program” to “Giuliani's stop-and-frisk-style nonsense,” that may be too little, too late. “It makes for a less safe experience for black, brown, indigenous and immigrant passengers. It has nothing to do with safety,” he concluded. “It has everything to do with racial harassment.”

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