Will.i.am Accuses Australia Flight Attendant of Racism Following Onboard Altercation

Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am is slamming an Australian flight attendant for being "racist" towards him in an onboard altercation that ended with cops meeting him at the terminal. The star, who is currently touring overseas, was on a Qantas flight from Brisbane to Sydney on Saturday following his performance with the band at RNB Fridays Live festival. Will.i.am took to Twitter to document the whole ordeal claiming he was a victim of racially-motivated abuse when he was being nothing but "polite" to crew during the ordeal.

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Act of Racism?

"I’m currently on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney. I’m sorry to say me and my group have experienced they worse service due to a overly aggressive flight attendant..." he tweeted during the flight. "I don’t want to believe she racist. But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of colour." Will.i.am then went on to identify the flight attendant by name and shared a photo of the police escort he received once off the plane. "@Qantas Your #RacistFlightattendant was beyond rude & took it to the next level by calling the police on me. thank god the other passengers testified that SHE was out of Control 🙏🏿 the police finally let me go. imagine if the police were as aggressive as Lorraine Marshall," he wrote.

The Altercation:

The singer went on to explain the altercation that took place by stating he had his noise-canceling headphones on so he couldn't hear the instructions on the P.A. However, an eyewitness told the Daily Telegraph the incident happened after 50 Cent's guitarist Travis Ferguson refused to check his guitar after the flight attendant told him he couldn't carry it on the plane. The witness told the outlet the altercation with Will.i.am happened shortly after.

The famed musician took heat from followers who weren't happy that he named the flight attendant, which made him respond and explain the details of events even further. "Is callin the police on a passenger for not hearing he P.A due to wearing noise canceling headphones appropriate? If didn’t put away my laptop “in a rapid 2min time” I’d understand," Will.i.am tweeted. "I did comply quickly & politely, only to be greeted by police. I think I was targeted." He added that he was paying attention and he put on his headphones 20 minutes into the flight.

Will.i.am Faces Backlash:

Several people are taking Qantas' side and attacking Will.i.am for his public actions against the popular Australian airline company. Entertainment reporter Peter Ford was amongst those most upset at the star. "Some of your many millions of followers have already started abusing this woman. "But mate why not just go though a normal complaint process? Do you understand the intimidation and abuse you are subjecting this woman to with your post?" tweeted Ford, to which Will.i.am swiftly responded. "I was intimidated by 5 police officers when I landed...for what? 🤷🏿‍♂️ I put away my laptop when she asked...why would she feel threatened by me to call the police? What did I do wrong? I wasn’t out of hand.. I was polite & did what she asked... now you’re asking me to take abuse?" the star tweeted.

Qantas Blames Singer:

In a surprise turn of events, Qantas responded with a statement but blamed the Black Eyed Peas singer. "There was a misunderstanding on board, which seems to have been exacerbated by will.i.am wearing noise cancelling headphones and not being able to hear instructions from crew," the statement read. "We completely reject the suggestion this had anything to do with race. We'll be following up with will.i.am and wish him well for the rest of the tour." The Daily Mail Australia spoke with police, who said they consider this matter finalized. "AFP officers met the flight on arrival and spoke to crew and passengers on board. No further action was required as a result. The AFP considers this matter finalised," authorities told the outlet. Will.i.am ended this rant by defending his decision to take to Twitter regarding the incident. "Have a goodnight...Twitter is the people’s tool...rich and poor...a tool to use when things go wrong...it allows people can FEEL directly from the people that have FEELINGS...today I FELT discrimination...and I spoke for all the other people who are voiceless," he wrote.