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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Spirit airlines passenger complains after being forced to remove his ‘let’s go brandon’ mask

Twitter/ Adam Radogna

A man on board a Spirit Airlines flight alleged that he was forced to take off his electronic face mask with the glowing slogan "let's go Brandon FJB" written on it.

Adam Radogna was flying from Ohio to Florida on Friday when he was approached by a flight attendant who asked him to take off his electronic mask and wear one supplied by the airline.

The phrase "let's go Brandon" is used by conservatives to attack president Joe Biden.

In the video Mr Radogna shared on TikTok, which has garnered over 145,000 views, a flight attendant is seen asking him to take his mask off while offering him one provided by the airlines.

Mr Radogna asked the staff to provide a reason as to why he should wear a new mask, and the crew can be heard saying "it's offensive".

"It can be to some people. So we are not going to go back and forth. Just go ahead and put the blue one, okay," the staff responded.

Mr Radogna can be heard repeatedly stating “this is not America anymore” to his co-passenger while putting on the new mask. He then accused the airline of violating his First Amendment rights.

The slogan "let's go Brandon" is a euphemism for "F*** Joe Biden," which was accidentally coined in October 2021.

During an event at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway in early October, a sports journalist misreported that a crowd shouting “F*** Joe Biden” was saying “Let’s go, Brandon”. Since then, the chant has been uttered on the House floor by a Republican lawmaker and used frequently by Biden critics on social media.

In a subsequent video, Mr Radogna is told by a Black flight attendant that political statements are not allowed. The Donald Trump supporter argued that a mask featuring the phrase “Black Lives Matter’ would have been allowed.

When the staff asked what the slogan written on his face mask meant, Mr Radogna claimed that his first name is "Brandon."

The passenger was also seen wearing a sweatshirt with the slogan "let's go Brandon" written over Donald Trump's face.

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