Singer Bebe Rexha has alleged that she was threatened and “mentally abused” by an airport worker due to her Albanian heritage.
The 34-year-old artist shared an emotional video on Instagram, accompanied by the caption: “I’ve been threatened because I thought the security agent was Albanian.
I spoke to him in Albanian to ask where to get my ticket, and now he is banning me from the flight.”
It is unclear whether the US-born singer, whose family has Albanian roots, was permitted to board her flight from Munich airport.
Rexha accused the male airport staff member of refusing to provide his name and “continuing to mentally abuse me,” and claimed that the female staff present did not intervene.
The artist, known for her collaborations with Rita Ora and Louis Tomlinson, and for her UK number one single with David Guetta,
“I’m Good (Blue),” indicated that she believes the man is employed by a company that provides services for Lufthansa.
The German airline responded by stating that it is working to “understand the situation” and does not “tolerate discriminatory behavior of any kind.”
A spokesperson from Lufthansa said, “We reached out to Bebe Rexha and are in direct contact with her to understand the situation.”
They emphasized that as an international airline, Lufthansa connects people and countries around the globe, and that diversity and equal opportunity are core values of their company culture.
“We do not tolerate any discriminatory behavior of any kind,” the spokesperson added.
Rexha later confirmed that Lufthansa had reached out to her and called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
In addition to her own successful music career, which includes four top 10 singles in the UK, Rexha has written for artists such as Selena Gomez and Eminem.