Bebe Rexha says she was 'threatened' by security, banned from flight on German airline for speaking Albanian
"I believe this to be a hate crime."
Bebe Rexha claims that she was the victim of a hate crime at Munich Airport in Germany.
On Saturday, the pop star shared a series of emotional Instagram Stories in which she told her followers, through tears, that she'd had a stressful interaction that she says occurred when she attempted to board a flight with the German airline Lufthansa.
"I've been threatened because I thought the security agent was Albanian," Rexha captioned the first video, a now-expired Story in which she sobbed and wiped away tears. "I spoke to him in Albanian, asking where to get my ticket, and now he is banning me from the flight."
The singer, whose family is of North Macedonian and Albanian descent, continued in a second post. "I believe this to be a hate crime because I am Albanian," she wrote. "He would not let me take his name. He continued to mentally abuse me to make me feel like he was more powerful then [sic] he was."
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She added, "Not one of the women at @Lufthansa stepped in or said something. He would not give me his name, but I just found out he works for ATSG, a service company document control hired by Lufthansa.”
The singer later shared a post from her mother, Bukurije "Bukie" Rexha, advocating for her safety. "Please make sure @BebeRexha makes it home safe," Bukie wrote. "@Munichairport, please investigate the male officer who threatened a woman @beberexha for speaking Albanian. Pull your cameras."
Entertainment Weekly has learned that Rexha was eventually able to board her flight on time. In a later post, the "I'm Good" singer confirmed that the German airline had reached out to her about the incident.
"I have never been so emotionally drained," she wrote. "@Lufthansa has direct-messaged me, but I urge them to do a full investigation on finding out who this man who was abusing his power is. An 'I'm sorry' is not gonna cut it this time."
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In a statement to EW sent on Sunday, Lufthansa, Munich Airport, and Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) said, "We contacted Bebe Rexha directly yesterday to understand the situation and are conducting an internal review on the matter. As an international airline, we connect people and countries around the globe. Our guests and employees come from all over the world. Diversity and equal opportunity are core values for our company and our corporate culture. We do not tolerate any discriminatory behavior of any kind."
Representatives for Rexha did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
The Grammy-nominated singer has not addressed the incident further, though her mother shared an additional message asking the airline to "find the agent" responsible, calling his behavior "discriminatory and degrading" and adding that it "may warrant legal action."
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Rexha is no stranger to venting her frustrations on social media — just last month, she took to X to voice her disappointment in the music industry.
"I could bring down a BIG chunk of this industry. I AM frustrated. I Have been UNDERMINED. I've been so quiet for the longest time," Rexha wrote. "Things must change or I’m telling ALL of my truths. The good, the bad, and the ugly."
She later added that her posts had not come "from a place of anger" but rather "sadness" over how she'd been treated since making her pop debut in 2014. Outside of being an artist in her own right, Rexha is known for her collaborations with David Guetta, Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and Louis Tomlinson.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.