
A Delta employee has been reassigned from their role managing the airline’s social media channels after facing backlash over a controversial post on an official account that was perceived by some as anti-Palestinian.
In a statement to CNN on Friday, Delta announced that the company “removed a mistakenly posted comment on X (Twitter) Wednesday as it did not reflect our values and our mission to connect the world.”
“The employee responsible for the post has been counseled and will no longer manage Delta’s social channels,” the airline added in the statement. “We apologize for this mistake.”
On Wednesday, an account on X reposted pictures of two Delta flight attendants wearing Palestinian flag pins on their uniforms. It’s unclear which account initially posted the images.
The post read, “Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because a terrorist attack on US soil. Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?” This statement falsely equated the Palestinian flag with the one flown by the militant group.
Screenshots show that Delta’s official account responded on Wednesday, stating, “I hear you as I’d be terrified as well, personally. Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed.” This reply, which has since been deleted, did not clarify what policy was being referenced.
The response ignited swift backlash from Delta employees and leaders in Palestinian and Muslim communities.
Azka Mahmood, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Georgia, where the airline is based, stated that conflating the Palestinian national symbol with Hamas “erases the existence and legitimacy of the entirety of Palestine.”
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