Swedish plane protester Elin Ersson: ‘I knew I couldn't back down – I had to do what I could'

A video of the student’s attempt to stop a man being deported to Afghanistan has gone viral. She explains why she took a stand On the video Elin Ersson streamed live on Facebook on Monday, you can hear irate plane passengers shouting: “We want to go, sit down!” Ersson, her cheeks reddening slightly and her eyes becoming teary, remains standing, and her voice is steady. A member of the cabin crew on the flight from Gothenburg to Istanbul repeatedly asks her to turn off her phone and sit down, or leave the plane. He describes her as an “unruly passenger”. Ersson, young and slight, stands her ground. “I’m doing what I can to save a person’s life,” she says. Did she feel awkward, or exposed? “I was so caught in the moment that I didn’t really realise that everyone was looking at me,” says Ersson on the phone from Sweden. “My focus was all on stopping a deportation to Afghanistan.” Continue reading... source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/swedish-plane-protester-elin-ersson-interview-afghanistan #Headlines by: Emine Saner

Original Post: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/swedish-plane-protester-elin-ersson-interview-afghanistan