Dutch airline KLM discriminated when it asked woman to move for Orthodox man
Human rights watchdog says the firm 'made a gender discrimination against the couple by failing to provide a discrimination-free environment during a flight'
A Dutch human rights board found the national airline KLM guilty of discriminating against a woman who was moved from her seat because an Orthodox Jewish man wouldn’t sit near her.
The Human Rights College, a watchdog organisation whose members are appointed by the king, made the ruling Thursday in a review of an incident from May 2019 aboard an airplane traveling from New York to Amsterdam, the AD news site reported.
KLM “made a gender discrimination against the couple by failing to provide a discrimination-free environment during a flight.”
Ronald van Raak, a lawmaker for the Socialist Party, submitted a complaint to the College after his wife was bumped from her seat because of the protestations of an Orthodox passenger who said he did not want to sit next to a woman. (This scenario arises from time to time on flights, where people usually do not have discretion over where they sit.)
KLM cabin crew asked the van Raaks to “cooperate in solving this problem” in order to “make the boarding process as smooth as possible,” the rights board said. “However, the Orthodox Jewish man was not held accountable for his behaviour, nor was it made clear to him that there were discriminatory aspects,” it ruled, adding: “Also, the Orthodox Jewish man or company he was part of was not asked to cooperate in solving the seating problem.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
