Swedish Student Delays a Plane by Refusing to Sit Until Asylum Seeker Is Removed, Kept from Deportation

"I am not going to sit down until the person is off the plane."

A Swedish student has delayed a flight to keep an Afghan asylum seeker from being deported, the Guardian reports.

Elin Ersson, who studies at Gothenburg University according to her Facebook page, boarded a flight from Gothenburg to Turkey and refused to take her seat because a 52-year-old refugee onboard was being returned to Afghanistan, where, she said, "he’s going to get killed".

"As long as he is not on the plane, I will comply," she said in a Facebook Live broadcast of the protest.

You can watch it in full below:

She said she had initially purchased a ticket for the flight to keep a younger Afghan asylum seeker from being deported, but he was not onboard.

Throughout the clip, you can hear passengers complaining, and in one instance, attempting to take her phone.

"I don’t want a man’s life to be taken away just because you don’t want to miss your flight," she added.

However, the passengers began applauding when the flight crew removed the asylum seeker as a result of Errson’s standoff. Ersson was informed that she had to exit the plane as well.

She now faces potential fines and up to six months of jail time, according to local outlet DW.

Authorities said the Aghan man was in custody and would be deported at a future date.

Header Image: Facebook (Elin Errson)