A 21-year-old Swedish student, Elin Ersson, has inspired millions by halting the deportation of an Afghan asylum-seeker. Ersson boarded a flight from Gothenburg to Istanbul in July and refused to take her seat until the asylum seeker was allowed to disembark.
‘I don’t want a man’s life to be taken away just because you don’t want to miss your flight,’ she replied coolly after being asked to sit down by a fellow passenger. Ersson has been called a ‘hero to a generation’ by Newsweek and even compared to Gandhi by Indian publication The Wire. Her action comes not long after Virgin Airlines announced it will no longer be carrying out deportations for the UK Home Office.
