[Gossip] Michael Moore Outraged After Palestinian Director Was Detained At LAX
Posted by Joseph Lee on 02.20.2013
They didn't believe he was here for the Academy Awards...
TMZ reports that Michael Moore is upset after his friend, a Palestinian director, was detained at LAX last night because officials didn't believe he was here for the Academy Awards.
Emad Burnat, whose film 5 Broken Cameras is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, was held up for an hour and a half while he was interrogated about his visit.
Moore tweeted: "Emad, his wife & 8-yr old son were placed in a holding area and told they didn't have the proper invitation on them to attend the Oscars. Although he produced the Oscar invite nominees receive, that wasn't good enough & he was threatened with being sent back to Palestine. Apparently the Immigration & Customs officers couldn't understand how a Palestinian could be an Oscar nominee. Emad texted me for help. I called Academy officials who called lawyers. I told Emad to give the officers my phone # and to say my name a couple of times. After 1.5 hrs, they decided to release him & his family & told him he could stay in L.A. for the week & go to the Oscars. Welcome to America. 'It's nothing I'm not already used to,' he told me later. 'When u live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence.' He was certain they were going to deport him. But not if I had anything to do about it."
