A pilot with Tunisair - Tunisia's national carrier - kicked a passenger off the flight over racist comment towards a black flight attendant, as reported by Al Araby.
Mounir Ajlani, the pilot, had made the decision on a flight to Tunis, Tunisia from Istanbul, Turkey earlier this month after the passenger verbally attacked a flight attendant for attempting to resolve a dispute between passengers.
The crew member, Ghofrane Binous, took to Facebook on May 13 to depict the details of the incident.
"I don't need your help. The last thing I need is a black b**** of an air hostess," the passenger told Binous, according to Al Araby.
In her Facebook post, Binous explained that being verbally attacked "hurts," but the fact that her colleagues stood beside her was more than comforting.
"What was very comforting was the full solidarity expressed by all crew members, the commander, the co-pilot and the passengers of the flight," she wrote.
On Thursday, Binous met with members of parliament's rights, freedoms and external relations committee, who pledged their full support, confirming they'd help the crew member take legal action.
Passengers and crew members stood in solidarity with Binous
Racism in Tunisia
In 2017, Tunisia voted in favor of a bill which would criminalize discrimination, especially racism.
The draft law states individuals accused of racial discrimination - and propagation of racist ideas - may face up to three years in prison.
Earlier this month, Tunisia's human rights minister, Mehdi Ben Gharbia, said the anti-racial discrimination law should take effect before the end of May, according to Arab Weekly.
"I have the deep conviction that history goes towards one direction, that of the equality between people whatever their race, sex or ethnic origin," said Ben Gharbia, according to Arab Weekly.
In 1846, Tunisia was the first Arab country to ban slavery.
According to Al Jazeera, around 15 percent of the country's population identifies as black.