One of Australia’s most popular airlines is threatening Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am with legal action over his recent claim that he was a victim of racial discrimination.
CNN reports that on Friday, the multihyphenate took to Twitter to drag a flight attendant that works for the Australian airline Qantas.
“I’m currently on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney. I’m sorry to say me and my group have experienced they [sic] worse service due to a overly aggressive flight attendant…” he tweeted. “I don’t want to believe she racist. But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of colour.”
After using the hashtag #RacistFlightAttendant and identifying the woman publicly, the “Where Is The Love?” rapper got in a lengthy Twitter spat with New Zealand entertainment reporter Peter Ford.
According to CNN, Qantas initially dismissed will.i.am’s claims as a misunderstanding, but the company is now threatening legal action against the 44-year-old if he doesn’t retract his allegations of racism.
“Absent a retraction, and if the crew member wanted to take the matter further, we’d certainly be willing to provide legal support for them to do this,” a spokesperson for the company told CNN.
will.i.am’s team has yet to comment on Qantas’ threat, but by threatening legal action instead of focusing on amicably rectifying the matter, it’s clear where the company stands on the alleged discriminatory behavior of its employees.