A really interesting thread.
For a moment, lets put aside what actually happened, and assume that all that happened was as reported in the newspapers.
What surprises me are the number of contributors who appear to take the view that the Captain was entirely justified to refuse boarding to a passenger solely on the basis of the reported story.
For every right there is a duty. In this case the right to refuse boarding is accompanied by the duty to excercise the right reasonably. IMHO, and getting away from any personalities or unreported facts, to exclude a passenger on the basis of the story is unreasonable. I didn't think that I'd see so many Ppruners disagree, and it certainly gives me new perceptions into the industry.
cur