I had an extremely unpleasant and humiliating experience at Birmingham Airport security which has completely put me off ever using this airport again.One member of staff clearly targeted me the moment I entered his queue. He was scowling before I even got to him, and when it was my turn his behaviour was aggressive, hostile, and unnecessary. Despite wearing normal flat pumps (not boots or trainers), he suddenly shouted at me to remove my shoes. He claimed it was “random” – yet nobody else for miles around was asked to do the same. Not one other passenger in the queue was told to remove theirs, including my partner who saw exactly what happened. It was blatantly not random – he singled me out.I had no socks on and felt extremely vulnerable and humiliated being forced to take my shoes off in front of everyone. As someone with Asperger’s, I found this very distressing and difficult to process. Even another passenger beside me was shocked and agreed his behaviour was rude and targeted.To make matters worse, he butted into my private conversation afterwards, trying to start an argument, smirking as though he enjoyed making me uncomfortable. The way he barked “Shoes off NOW” was aggressive and on a complete power trip. He definitely picked on me deliberately, and I would have loved to see him try the same with my partner or any other man, rather than me – a woman wearing a lanyard.This man’s whole manner was rude, intimidating, and unprofessional. He clearly has a chip on his shoulder and should not be working in a public-facing role. If anything, his conduct poses more of a risk than the passengers he is supposed to be screening.This incident cast a shadow over my weekend and I have not stopped thinking about it since. Truly disgraceful behaviour which has put me off Birmingham Airport for good. If I could leave zero stars, I would.
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