On Wednesday I spoke to Meles (not his real name, but he needs to prevent harassment of his mother).
He lives in Canada and his mother flies out to spend the festive season with him every year. She is in her eighties and it is a tough journey but she and Meles look forward to their annual reunion.
Her husband spent over 30 years working for Ethiopian Airlines. But two years ago he passed away and Meles is determined she should not be alone at this time.
Meles is lucky. He worked for the Canadian air force until he retired and now has his own business. He can afford to fly his mother to join him.
So you can imagine his anger and despair when he learned that his mother was being banned from taking the flight by Ethiopian Airlines. Her “crime”? She’s Tigrean.
“Ethiopian airlines is an international airline,” says Meles. “Discrimination should not be allowed. This is racism - pure and simple.”
Meles is now consulting his lawyer - looking to use Canadian courts to challenge Ethiopian Airlines’ discrimination.
“It is disgusting – legal discrimination by an international airline. I am going to go for them. I will sue the airline,” he said.
But for this year he, and his mother, must spend the festive season apart. It is a high price to pay, but his thoughts are with the plight of the people in Tigray.
“It is really bad. I don’t understand why the media and international humanitarians are not allowed inside. It is suspicious. The international community must push hard, to get on the ground.”
I think Eritera Hub and the owner Mr P Martin should be hold partly accountable for what was happened in Tigray. It was this media draw a wrong images and big picture of TPLF (capacity (250,000 well armed paramilitary .. bla bla bla so where is that capacity now?). That had influenced TPLF wrong decision and the Gov’t Ethiopia over reactions. That how the offensive by ENDNC counter measure was take and the result became elimination of TPLF. Later he changed his shame by talking about gorilla fighting as stagey, which became unrealistic. Now he made himself busy by spoiling Ethiopian and Eritrea countries image. He continued to attack the Ethiopia national icon Ethiopia air line. From the history we came to know that Ethiopia had good Britain leader such as Winston Churchill who supported the Ethiopia freedom fighting against the aggressor Benito Mussolini of Italian. We have big road in the center of Addis on his name. Then what did Ethiopians did/ or left without doing on P Martin Plaut the Shem less journalist? I would suggests the Gov’t of Ethiopia has to do something for this gay such as packing his with some pounds. We know repeated lies seems true but never be true. Other wise let him continue misguide.
You are the shameless here. What is written is fact. That is currently happening in Ethiopia. You should have stood for humanity. Barbarian!
Apart from blaming Martin Plaut as a person, what reasons or arguments do you have for defending Ethiopian Airlines’ decision not to allow an 80-year-old woman fly to join her son in Canada simply because she happens to hail from Tigray? People who have no reasons to challenge ideas or facts always resort to attacking the person as a person.
Samuel, do not confuse others after confusing yourself. The Agenda is simple and clear. The agenda is bout 80 years old mother who denied to fly Ethiopian.
I can’t believe that you are blaming Eritrean Hub and the TPLF for the crimes and atrocities being committed by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments. In case you don’t know yet, the Tigrayan government is not just fighting the Ethiopian army. Even that would not have been considered a leveled playing field. But we know that the Eritreans are in Tigray full force, the UAE has used drones extensively in addition to the criminal militias who are massacring innocent civilians, burning crops and looting factories. The Ethiopian government is murdering every ethnic group in Ethiopia that opposes its misguided rule. You should be surprised by the fact that the war is still going on given the forces Ethiopia deployed in Tigray. And if you think discrimination of an old woman or ethnic cleansing is the answer to your hate of the TPLF, then you are missing the big picture. Tigrayans will not have any allegiance to Ethiopia after this and you can keep singing about your flag until the cows come home.
Wow! Why so much vitriol Mr. Altaye? There are two, if not more, sides to the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has, and is, presenting its side via various news outlets. Mr. Plaut is presenting the view from the various other sides. Why attack him instead the facts in the story? Your vitriolic response (and those by others like you) are making me start to believe that the claims made by folks from Tigray are perhaps valid; while the conflict is being presented as a political one the animus is pure and simple hatred (the definition of genocide).
It is you who should be held accountable for trying to silence people who support the voiceless,and for siding with criminals who are killing so many innocents by suffocating the media.
Because they telling the truth? Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love. Exactly like you and Dictator Abiy Ahmed so don’t ever tried to hide the truth learn from your mistakes
Samuel, you might think you are doing a good service to your ‘country’. You are not. First of all, learn how spell correctly. Secondly, you are talking off topic. Do you think it is right for the 80 year old to be denied flying to join her son simply because she is Tigrayan? What if she was your mother? Answer this questions if you have any level of humanity. As to you other nonsense, it speaks more about you than Martin. Surely the demise of Ethiopia is fast approaching thanks to the stupidity of people like you and Abiy Ahmed.
Let 2021 be a year of freedom and independence for the Tigray people. Freedom starts at the hearts and minds of the people. Until 2020, every Tigrayan thought they were Ethiopian. Not anymore. Not after the rest of Ethiopians chanted by the death of Tigrayans. Not after Abiy Ahmed invited other countries to invade Tigray and commit war crimes on Tigrayans. Tigray will not be part of Ethiopia any more. Death to Ethiopia, Freedom to Tigray. My new year wish is establishment of Tigray as a country. I cannot wait to get my Tigrayan passport. I wish a very happy new year to the wonderful freedom-loving researcher Martin Plaut. I look forward to meeting you in person to say thank you & get your autograph. Thank you.
I honestly think you need to get your head checked out. Your lack of compassion to an 80 yrs old mother who couldn’t able to see her son and grandkids makes you as inhuman as those same fano amara militias who where chopping heads of innocients, raping women young and old, killing
Mr Martin. P is a well educated, respected person with a high integrity and we should thank him and honour him for standing for the truth, humanity and justice. We love amd respect him. Period.
Fake story, the airlines manager is Tigrain.
What ever fake politics you spread about Ethiopia the TYRANNY TPLF leaders will be captured or killed, silly you understand that?