Pop singer Bebe Rexha has had objects thrown at her on stage – once leaving her with a black eye – and claimed that she was “punished” by the music industry for it.
Now she claims to have been the victim of a hate crime.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the 34-year-old New York native published a series of posts on Instagram Stories last Saturday in which she claimed that she was targeted by security at Munich Airport while trying to board a Lufthansa flight.
“I was threatened because I thought the security guard was Albanian,” Rexha wrote. “I spoke to him in Albanian and asked where I could get my ticket and now he is not allowing me to board the flight.”
The same Entertainment Weekly article explains that Rexha’s family is of North Macedonian and Albanian descent. The singer’s first name is actually “Bleta,” which is of Albanian origin, according to Ancestry.com.
“I believe this is a hate crime because I am Albanian,” Rexha added. “He wouldn’t let me take his name. He continued to abuse me psychologically to make me feel like he was more powerful than me.so) he was.”
No one reportedly intervened to help or advocate for Rexha, the New York Post reports.
“I have never been so emotionally drained,” Rexha said in an update. “Lufthansa has sent me a direct message, but I urge them to conduct a full investigation to find out who this man is who abused his power. An ‘I’m sorry’ will not be enough this time.”
TMZ reports that a Lufthansa representative told them they are currently in contact with Rexha to investigate her allegations. This representative stressed to TMZ that diversity and equal opportunity are among the airline’s core values.
