Was it right for him to be detained over such a trivial matter?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....airport-security.html

It would seem that in 2012 Britain, the great British sense of humour is frowned upon so much so, that you can be detained for it.

/// commenting on the ease with which a woman with her face covered by a hijab, another form of the burqa, had walked through security controls. ///

/// As he placed his scarf and other items into a tray to pass through an X-ray scanner, he quipped to an official: ‘If I was wearing this scarf over my face, I wonder what would happen.’ ///

/// As he went through security where he hoped to meet up with his two grown-up daughters, he was confronted by a woman official who said he was being held because he had made an offensive remark. ///

/// He said: ‘It was impossible to get her to listen to reason. We were then joined by a second female security guard who stated that she was Muslim and was deeply distressed by my
comment. ///

[ummmm]

Hijab doesn't cover the face.

[ummmm]

Oh...and he was kept for 20 minutes.

[sandyRoe]

I believe security people at airports don't appreciate jokes about hi-jacking or bombs, either.

[Gladeian]

I am surprised that a "woman official" as described here has the necessary powers of arrest to detain this gentleman in these circumstances. Perhaps he should have just walked away and then made the "woman official" call a police officer to deal with the matter if she felt the matter required that level of action. If the Muslim woman was "deeply distressed" by the remark then surely this may have constituted an offence against the Public Order Act and the matter could have been resolved at a Magistrates' Court, instead of an apology obtained by what was reported as made under duress, and may in fact have not been required in the first place.

[DTCwordfan]

Over-reaction by the man and stubbornness and how to ruin a trip for himself and his family. A simple sorry and all this was over but he had to add fuel to the fire, didn't he - and there are ways of saying sorry without being direct. "I regret what I said" for example.

A storm of a tea cup and one that when I read in the STel this morning, I knew AOG would be on his usual hind-horse about...wait for his standard practice to "debate" emerge in the next hour.

There's one more I am expecting some slurred comment on, AOG.....

[pdust]

aog.... hijab doesnt cover a womans face... i know for a fact...i wear it every single day :)

[chi-chi66]

Many years ago, I was going on holiday with my daughter, a friend and her
gobby husband. When asked had we packed our own suitcases, he said, directed at me,'you don't know what she's got in hers' to my utter amazement.
I was taken aside, with my suitcase, it was first put through x-ray, and sure enough it looked as though there was something 'offensive' in it.
After I had been searched, my case was opened, and the 'offensive' item was..
my hairdryer diffuser. When I was shown this on the x-ray, side view, it really did look like a round of ammunition for some type of rifle (you know the type that bandits in films wear, slung around their bodies) rolled up!!! I was mortified, but not held..so Pleeeease, no wisecracks!!

[IggyB]

security guards are well known for abusing their power / position and old men are well known for being stubborn and making slightly inappropriate jokes - this is what happens when these two groups meet I would imagine. Storm in a tea cup, both sides should have taken a deep breath and moved on rather than banging heads for 20 minutes - and as for going to the papers afterwards that's just daft.

[humbersloop]

//It would seem that in 2012 Britain, the great British sense of humour is frowned upon so much so, that you can be detained for it//

Aog could you explain what the joke actually was please?

[sunny-dave]

^^^ quite so hslp ^^^

[pdust]

lol helen ;)

aww dont say that iggy, if daftness like this wasnt reported aog would have sod all to post on a quiet day.....

[humbersloop]

^^ I'm not holding my breath Dave.

[anotheoldgit]

Thank you for providing a perfect example for me, Take this question, I did not spout any venom, insult anyone or make any other inflammatory remarks, all I asked was.

"Was it right for him to be detained over such a trivial matter"?

The first answer I got was /// Hijab doesn't cover the face ///

Did I ever suggest it did?

/// Oh...and he was kept for 20 minutes. ///

Er? 5 minutes, 20 minutes what did it matter ? He was detained.

/// I knew AOG would be on his usual hind-horse about...wait for his standard practice to "debate" emerge in the next hour. ///

/// There's one more I am expecting some slurred comment on, AOG..... ///

/// aog.... hijab doesnt cover a womans face... i know for a fact...i wear it every single day :) ///

/// pdust - wait for it, wait for it!! ///

/// 'I was only repeating what was reported in the media' ///

No redhelen I am only posting some examples of the kind of answers I have received from my non abusive, non aggressive and none insulting thread.

Once again I rest my case.

[pdust]

whats your case aog?

none of those replies are abusive, aggressive or insulting....

[humbersloop]

And returning strictly to your OP Aog, I don't understand what the joke was that evidenced the great British sense of humour. Please explain.

[pdust]

aog are some of those quotes from another thread? thats cheating!

[ummmm]

You quoted the hijab in your OP. If you don't want us to comment on something leave it out of the OP.

The reason I mentioned he was only detained for 20 minutes is to point out how trivial it is. My OH was detained in San Francisco for not providing an address. Detained can just mean a little chat to clear things up.

[jno]

held for 20 minutes = "Orwellian nightmare".

I guess he's read more Fireman Sam than Orwell.