Comedian and actor Eric Andre claims he was subjected to racism and harassment while traveling through Melbourne Airport in Australia recently.
In an Instagram video posted on Sunday, Andre recounted his experience at Melbourne airport, claiming he was “completely sniffed around by dogs” as he was forced to queue.
The black, biracial comedian said he had traveled from New York City to Brisbane, Australia to film a project, explaining that he’d been on a 25-hour flight with stops in Los Angeles and Melbourne.
“This is one of many times I’ve experienced racism at the airport,” Andre said, “so this is a message to all black, brown and Indigenous people travelling through Melbourne today… please be careful.”
“They’re searching black, brown and Indigenous people,” he added, asking his Instagram followers to share any information they have about Melbourne Airport’s sniffer dog policy.
He also asked his followers for information about Australian lawyers who specialize in racism cases.
“From now on, anyone who hires me for work in Australia, whether it’s for production or tour, please don’t let me go through Melbourne airport alone,” he said. “Please provide a police escort or some kind of security escort, or fly me directly to Brisbane or Sydney.”
“I don’t feel safe at Melbourne airport,” he said. “I don’t want to experience any more humiliation or racism at these airports.”
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told HuffPost that the airport “does not tolerate racism in any form.”
“We welcome all passengers to Melbourne and expect everyone to be treated equally,” the spokesman said, adding that the airport had asked other Australian government agencies “responsible for processing all international arrivals into Australia” to investigate the incident.
“These institutions have already provided Mr. Andre with responses,” the representative said.
Eric Andre, Nov. 15, 2023, in Hollywood.
Valerie Macon via Getty Images
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) told NBC News that all passengers arriving in Australia “are subject to a biosecurity screening process which includes fresh fruit and vegetables, plants and food, as well as soil on footwear and recreational equipment.”
“All travellers entering Australia will experience some or all of these screening measures,” the spokesman said, listing one of them as “universal screening with the assistance of highly trained dogs”.
Andre has spoken out about racial profiling before.
In 2021, he said he was racially profiled by law enforcement officers at the Atlanta airport.
The following year, Andre and fellow comedian Clayton English filed a lawsuit alleging that they were racially profiled and illegally stopped by Clayton County, Georgia police officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
After the lawsuit was dismissed, their lawyers appealed on their behalf in January.