AN ANTI-WAR protester who was refused boarding on a Qantas flight to London because he wore a provocative T-shirt has issued a challenge to the airline to fly him home dressed the same way.

Allen Jasson, 55, an IT specialist living in London, is staying with his daughter in Melbourne after he was refused entry to the flight to London at Melbourne Airport on Friday.

Mr Jasson said he risked missing his chance of permanent residency if he spent more than two months out of Britain. He said he was seeking legal advice to challenge the airline's policy and recover costs.

Mr Jasson was told he could not fly last Friday from Melbourne Airport while wearing a T-shirt that said US President George Bush was the world's number one terrorist.

It was not the first time Mr Jasson had been told to remove his T-shirt. On December 2, a security guard at London's Heathrow Airport told him, "You won't be flying with that on".

Domestic carrier Virgin Blue took the same action when Mr Jasson tried to catch a connecting flight to Adelaide, but on a return flight to Melbourne with Qantas on Friday, he wore the shirt.

But when he approached the gate manager at Tullamarine on Friday, he was ordered to take it off.

Mr Jasson said he cleared international security checks and arrived at the departure lounge in Melbourne for the flight home when he approached the gate manager. He told the manager that it was "good Qantas relented on the business of the T-shirt" and said he was owed an apology. The manager, then noticing the T-shirt, said Mr Jasson would have to remove it or he couldn't fly.

Mr Jasson said it was his right to express "a popular political" view and denied it was an attention-seeking exercise. "It's game on, Qantas. They are going to fly me home wearing this T-shirt," he said. "I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech."

A Qantas spokesman said: "Whether made verbally or on a T-shirt, comments with the potential to offend other customers or threaten the security of a Qantas group aircraft will not be tolerated."