An Australian man said that a domestic airline asked him to remove a shirt he was wearing that had words supporting the Palestinian cause.

This came according to the Australian SBS website, where the man named Doug Cronin said that Virgin Australia staff asked him to take off his shirt because they saw it as offensive as it bore the phrase "Justice for Palestine". Meanwhile, the company's website says that the dress code for passengers "does not allow offensive language or symbols".

For his part, the Australian citizen demanded the company explain what happened after the plane crew asked him to remove a shirt with the phrase "Justice for Palestine" before boarding the plane.

Doug Cronin was about to board a flight from Brisbane to Sydney two weeks ago when a Virgin Australia employee stopped him and objected to the shirt he was wearing. Cronin said the company employee told him that there were complaints from other passengers who felt offended by his shirt, and Cronin asked the employee if people wearing shirts with sports brands would also be asked to change their clothes?

Also, Cronin said he was very tired, so he could not argue, so he wore another shirt with a Palestinian motif bearing a key and a watermelon, which does not seem to have caused any problems. However, he said he sees it as "ridiculous that he was stopped because he was wearing the shirt".

Cronin continued: "There is absolutely nothing offensive about demanding justice," and he said his interpretation of the phrase "Justice for Palestine" primarily relates to calling for a permanent ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel. He said: "We are at a stage where we can no longer just demand a ceasefire."