Delta Passenger, Green Activist Denied Entry To U.S.

UPDATE: 10/1:

The organization that organized Stewart's American tour issued a press release with the following statement:

On September 29, Stewart, who does not have a criminal record and meets the requirements for the US Visa Waiver program, had his visa waiver rescinded mid-flight. He was questioned by the FBI, the Secret Service, and immigration for six hours at New York’s JFK Airport before being put back on a plane to London...Environmentalist Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, says that barring a community organizer from entering the U.S. is a dangerous statement. He continued, “We need more voices, not fewer, explaining the dangers of climate change and the rational responses we must make. And though it’s a backhanded testament to John Stewart’s effectiveness, this is sad news for all of us hoping to hear what he had to say.”

PREVIOUSLY, 9/30: A Delta flight from London bound for New York's JFK airport was met by investigators Thursday morning after a passenger on the plane made a vague threat towards President Obama.

The suspect is reportedly John Stewart, a 62-year-old Englishman who heads HACAN, an anti-airport expansion group based in the U.K., the Evening Standard reports. Stewart has reportedly led HACAN'S fight over the expansion of London's Heathrow airport since the 1990s. It's unclear what specific threat was made towards President Obama.

Law enforcement sources told New York's local Fox station that Stewart was denied entry to the United States. The Evening Standard later reported that Stewart was sent back to the U.K. on a KLM flight.

Last week, the Daily Mail took Stewart to task for venturing to the U.S. to spread his message by airplane. Stewart departed the U.K. from the very airport he's criticized for years, the paper pointed out.

Stewart was meant to be joined on his American campaign by fellow environmental activist Dan Glass, but he did not end up traveling due to his conviction of breach of peace.

Glass told the Evening Standard that there are some 3,400 airport construction projects planned across America that "make the Heathrow third runway campaign look like a walk in the park."

WATCH the Fox report below:

Passenger on Delta Flight Investigated, Denied Entry to U.S.: MyFoxNY.com

Comments

[trekie70]

11:14 AM on 10/02/2011

The TSA made the right call. Any and all threats toward the President should be taken seriously. I'd also like to know what exactly the threat was.

Regarding his environmental stance, I have no problem with that. Climate change is real, man-made or not and needs to be addressed.

[freddsky]

08:22 AM on 10/02/2011

"Stewart departed the U.K. from the very airport he's criticized for years, the paper pointed out."

Maybe the threat ruse is being used to underscore America's new policy of zero tolerance for foreign hypocrites. We have already exceeded our quota of domestic ones?

[BIGTERRA]

07:53 AM on 10/02/2011

He should have stayed in his own country...we have more than enough nuts of our own...both democrats and republicans.

Global warming...excuse me...global climate change, despite what the inventor of the internet says, is not a scietifically proven fact. More and more scientists are coming to believe that man made global climate change is a fraud.

[TJCharles]

09:45 AM on 10/03/2011

"Global warming...­excuse me...globa­l climate change..."

It's both. The earth is warming because of human activity. That warming is causing climate to change in various ways.

"...despite what the inventor of the internet says..."

First, Al Gore never claimed that he invented the internet. Second, he is not a scientist. He has just presented what climate scientists have concluded.

"...is not a scietifica­lly proven fact..."

The evidence for AGW is very strong.

"More and more scientists are coming to believe that man made global climate change is a fraud."

Names and publication references, please.

[reasonshouldrule]

10:43 PM on 10/03/2011

The evidence for climate change is overwhelming. It's mystifying that anyone could deny this very real phenomenon. Your final sentence is simply false, and the fact that you have repeated it from Fox or somewhere like that is unfortunate. If the time ever comes that we DO need to discuss the truth and/or problems with the evidence, no one will ever believe the "deniers" because you have denied the real evidence for so long you have no credibility.

[pepper2101]

11:21 PM on 10/01/2011

You know what I love (NOT) about this forum? No matter what topic is being discussed, it's either a democrat or republican's fault. The best thing of all is it's usually half and half. Just sayin.

[reasonshouldrule]

10:45 PM on 10/03/2011

Although it may have been "half and half" in the old days, the current climate of political disagreement really does lend itself to fault along party lines. That's not to say the lines aren't blurred somewhat, but for the most part, we live in times where our views are diametrically opposed, and thus, all problems really are the other party's fault, depending on the viewer.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

10:42 PM on 10/01/2011

John Lennon had, at least, been busted for pot.

[june53]

07:49 PM on 10/01/2011

What happened to common sense and civility? HIs mouth got away from him & he evidently said "more" than a trivial comment regarding President Obama to make the air crew report his
actions aboard the flight. People posting the jokes about the others that do "get in the U.S." are
equally showing poor common sense to be making glib comments about other groups or nationalities. People, we are better than this, Period ! Civility, Common Sense & a filter on our mouths would go a very long way in diminishing the vitriol & angst we are currently experiencing in this country (& throughout the world). God help us, because we are doing so well on our own.

[Randy Palermo]

06:12 PM on 10/01/2011

Stay in England -------and worry about your own country

[teachmetorock]

04:23 PM on 10/01/2011

In other news, 14,00 radical muslim extremeists and 40,000 mexicans were allowed entry the same day.

[pammiethekid]

05:15 PM on 10/01/2011

let's teach you to read first. then we can work on rock. :)

[Wstephen]

09:12 PM on 10/01/2011

perhaps someone can teach him to spell, as well.

[Bill Sampson]

10:11 PM on 10/02/2011

Do bigots and racists rock?

[sstevens37]

04:16 PM on 10/01/2011

how much did it cost the tax-payer to stop an aging environmentalist from entering the U.S.? silly to spend the money on nothing if you ask me

[tomonthebay]

03:47 PM on 10/01/2011

Good job, TSA.

[Moxo]

03:43 PM on 10/01/2011

Who needs "foreign crackpots trashing us" as some call them when we have our very own crackpots in the GOP trashing our Democracy!

[BIGTERRA]

08:03 AM on 10/02/2011

Not to mention weird democrats that have brought our country to the brink of bankruptsy with their crazy spending...and the Heavy spender-in-chief is the worst of the bunch! Can you imagine a half BILLION dollars down the tube for a "Green" company, Solyndra. And Obama's own advisors told him that Solyndra was gonna go belly up! So why did Obama ram the loan through? Could the fact that Solyndra's top management "bundled" $87,000 they gave to Obama have something to do with it? Something smells here...and those Solyndra executives are now taking the 5th when questioned by a congressional panel. Do they (and Obama) have something to hide?

[Moxo]

10:41 PM on 10/02/2011

What? Bush was a "weird democrat"? And all this time, after his adding of 5+ Trillion dollars to the dent, his two wars on borrowed money and his Medicare Plan D on borrowed money, I find out he was a DEM??

Sheesh! And I thought he was just a standard-issue Republican business failure who firmly believed that Reagan had proved that deficits don't matter!

[awdenecke]

03:18 PM on 10/01/2011

It has only been in very recent times that the borders of the US have been as open as they have become. The result has not been good. I really think we should consider strongly whether we want these crack pots in our Country trashing us. I understand openness of thought and dialogue, however most of the international green activists are not bringing a message of openness, they bring a message of thinly veiled terrorism and violence. This is America, if you want to change things we have a system for that, but leave your violence at home.

[Wstephen]

09:14 PM on 10/01/2011

your first sentence is patently false. Our borders were once completely open, without restriction. Learn a little history. I am not saying the borders are not more open than they should be, or less. But for many years, if you could get here, you were welcome to come in.

[rjhuntington]

08:38 AM on 10/04/2011

"It has only been in very recent times that the borders of the US have been as open as they have become."

Ridiculous statement. None of my immigrant ancestors needed any kind of visa or documentation to move here. They just got on a boat and came over. Some of them arrived in the 17th Century and some in the 19th Century. None of them arrived recently.

[robrtl]

02:24 PM on 10/01/2011

why don't these one horse people work for the betterment of man rather than beating one issue to death... answer cause they can get well known and make aliving

[jt2]

01:44 PM on 10/01/2011

This guy is an citizen of the UK and is against the expansion of the airport he uses? Am I right so far? Then he is coming to the US to hound us about the environment here? Why doesn't he stay at home and take care of his country before he comes here and starts critizing? Thanks for your interest but take care of your own business before you nose into someone else's!

[mu chowdhury]

04:52 PM on 10/01/2011

To save the environment is a global issue as declared in Kyoto protocol. Its not a UK/US honeymoon affair. Think green, save green, keep green. Sorry, for being rude.

[duey35]

01:41 PM on 10/01/2011

If hes green and anti airplane, he should have taken a ship over.