Who’s Afraid Of A Palestinian Flag Pin?

Like Vitamin Water or the Anti-Defamation League, the privately funded advocacy group StopAntisemitism benefits from being taken at face value. Its Twitter account boasts about being non-partisan and "achieving tangible results." In practice, the organization run by Liora Rez is often more interested in suppressing criticism of Israel or support for Palestinians; there are a few different groups, with misleading names and similar functions, aspiring to the same goal. In a case earlier this month, StopAntisemitism had a meltdown over flight attendants wearing pins.

On July 6, StopAntisemitism shared a hot tip: A Delta flight attendant on a trip from Boston to West Palm Beach wore a pin of the Palestinian flag on his vest. The basis of why this was concerning was intentionally left to be filled in by the anxieties and biases of the reader. You know why. Don't ask the group StopAntisemitism, which went so far as to publish the employee's Instagram page, to spell out why this person should be fired, only that he should be.

On July 9, Rez's group had an update: A second Delta flight attendant had worn a Palestinian flag pin. Once again this was presented as self-evidently noteworthy, but StopAntisemitism neglected to explain why:

This wasn't elevated any higher than a common grievance on the internet, until some random loser posted about it the following day. "Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because a terrorist attack in US soil," wrote Twitter user @iliketeslas. "Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?"

That was enough to grab the attention of a Delta Airlines social media manager, who replied within minutes from the brand's Twitter account. "I hear you as I'd be terrified as well, personally," the person wrote. "Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed." Then, a second tweet: "Nothing to worry, this is being investigated already, particularly the involved parties."

This exchange was unique: Airlines aren't particularly known for prompt and personable responses to service complaints. It wasn't even clear that @iliketeslas was a customer, actually—just a bigot who happened to mention Delta in a tweet. Even so, the person behind the company account was willing to break character as faceless brand and say that they, too, would be afraid of a Palestinian flag pin. Not just afraid—terrified.

Both of Delta's tweets were eventually deleted. The following day, it tweeted a more corporate statement: "On Wednesday, we removed a reply that was not in line with our values. We strive for an environment of inclusivity & respect for all, in our communities & our planes. The employee responsible no longer supports Delta’s social channels. We apologize for this hurtful post." By the end of the week, the airline announced a policy shift: All flag pins would be banned, except for the United States flag. A companywide policy shifted over insinuation. In response, the Delta flight attendant union demanded that the company retract the new policy, saying that the issue wasn't a flag pin but Delta allowing its employees to be targeted. "By silencing workers and restricting their expressions of identity, Delta is betraying its own values and setting the stage for increased harassment and discrimination," the statement read.

If there was any threat here, it was toward those flight attendants. There was no other rational fear to allay; it was just plain old racism. The flight attendants wearing those pins presumably had some knowledge of the ongoing massacres in Gaza, but their intent was not ever a factor to be considered. The complaint was what that knowledge could lead to. The same sort of logic could motivate a Brooklyn woman to harass a delivery driver because he was wearing a keffiyeh, then follow him in her car and park in the middle of the street to continue calling him a terrorist. Somebody might feel threatened by his scarf, after all.

In a quest to vanquish every criticism of Israel, entities like StopAntisemitism have deliberately, and largely successfully, conflated antisemitism with anti-Zionism, distorting the reality beyond recognition. The ADL under Jonathan Greenblatt has dug itself into such a hole that Wikipedia editors no longer view the organization as a reliable source to cite. When your sense of grievance is this inflated, a flag pin can seem a dangerous thing indeed.