EasyJet passengers stage mutiny after armed police try to evict two black men

An EasyJet flight was ordered to return to London Gatwick airport after passengers staged mutiny to stop armed police trying to evict two men off a flight.

An altercation erupted between the cabin crew and passengers on board while the plane was taxiing and about to take off at London Gatwick airport on Friday.

The two plane passengers, who were seated in an emergency exit row, reportedly "huffed" when they were told to put on their shoes for take-off.

EasyJet explained that it is a safety requirement to make sure there are no loose items during take-off.

In a video taken by holidaymaker Luke Gayle, airport police officers are on board the plane while a staff member is seen talking to the men.

A worker in an orange hi-vis jacket appears to explain the regulations to other passengers before the pair stand up and reach for their hand luggage in the overhead cabin.

But the passengers quickly defended them, with one woman saying: "No, don't get off. Sit down."

Another man added: "This is mad."

Luke called EasyJet's handling of the situation "disgraceful" and said that they were left waiting for two to three hours with no update.

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"They huffed and that was it. It seems so dramatic to call the police and have a plane with 160-odd passengers turn around and be delayed for someone huffing at them," he told MailOnline.

"I mean surely as cabin crew you are trained on how to deal with those situations effectively."

A spokesperson for EasyJet told the Daily Star: "An issue arose onboard the flight during taxi, the aircraft returned to stand and was met by airport police to resolve the issue before safely departing with all passengers on board.

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"Our crew must ensure that safety requirements are followed by all passengers and as part of their role must check prior to take-off that everyone is compliant with these.

"This is particularly important for passengers seated in emergency exits rows where crew ensure there are no loose items during take-off."

A new crew was called to replace the original team but EasyJet said it's was not because of the flight attendants' reaction.

"As is routine when a flight is delayed like this one, a new crew operated the flight to ensure that the original crew did not exceed their maximum legal operating hours over the course of the day," they added.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "Sussex Police responded to a call about passengers on board a flight leaving Gatwick Airport on Thursday (August 5) at 9.35am.

"Officers boarded the aircraft to prevent a breach of the peace. The matter was resolved and dealt with by the flight operator."

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