A VIDEO appearing to show an elderly woman being subjected to racist abuse on a Ryanair flight has drawn widespread condemnation.
Ryanair says it has reported the matter to police but the airline has been criticised for not removing the abusive passenger.
According to HuffPost UK, the woman was returning from a holiday organised by her daughter to cheer her up ahead of the first anniversary of her husband’s death.
Insults
The video was recorded on a Ryanair flight from Barcelona to London Stansted on Friday.
After a row over seating involving the woman’s daughter, who was sat in another part of the plane, the man in the window seat can be seen loudly shouting at the elderly woman in the aisle seat of the row.
Indicating the seat between them, he can be heard saying: “I hope somebody sits there because I don’t want to sit next to your ugly f****** face.”
This racist white man refused to sit next to an elderly black woman on a Ryanair flight.
He called her an "ugly black bastard" & threatened to push her to another seat if she didn't move to another seat.
Ryanair - DOES NOTHING!!!
UK twitter identify HIM!!!
RETWEET THIS! pic.twitter.com/70XNsvTZBg
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) 20 October 2018
After threatening to ‘push’ her to another seat, the woman replies quietly.
However the man responds: “Don’t talk to me in a f****** foreign language you stupid ugly cow.”
When another passenger asks the man to stop, he replies: “I will carry on for as long as I can with this ugly black b******.”
Condemnation
In a statement, Ryanair said: “We are aware of this video and have reported this matter to Essex Police.”
They added that as it was a police matter, they were unable to comment further.
However MPs and other high-profile figures have condemned the incident, with some saying the airline should have removed the man.
Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, described Ryanair as ‘horrific’ while Hull MP Karl Turner said he would be writing to the airline and Aviation Minister Liz Sugg.
This is just awful if true. How on earth did @Ryanair not throw the individual off the plane rather than asking the lady who was being abused to move seats? #RyanAir @ryanair you are horrific. https://t.co/SiZqGMXocN
— Robert Halfon MP #WorkingHard4Harlow (@halfon4harlowMP) October 21, 2018
I shall be writing to @Ryanair and the Aviation Minister Liz Sugg to ask what they’ve done about this. Clearly committed criminal offences. Racially Aggravated s.39 and or racially Aggravated s.5 Public Order. Needs to be charged and fast. https://t.co/yjJs8JdiCZ
— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) October 21, 2018
Drunken passengers can be escorted from flights - but a racist verbally attacking a black pensioner and refusing to sit next to her is okay right? Just disgraceful on every level. Well done for this interview @Nadine_Writes https://t.co/wD80xDam35
— Charlene White (@CharleneWhite) October 21, 2018
If this is @Ryanair, they need to explain how this man's disgusting racial abuse of the black lady in the seat next to him ends up with HER being asked to move. It is beyond beliefhttps://t.co/OhBfpXHaNG
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) October 20, 2018
well done for doing fuck all to help the woman being abused.
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 21, 2018
That’s absolute trash that @Ryanair moved the woman and didn’t kick the racist man off the flight.
— Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) October 21, 2018
In a statement to BBC News, Essex Police said: “This incident, which we were made aware of this morning, is believed to have taken place on a plane at Barcelona Airport.
“Essex Police takes prejudice-based crime seriously and we want all incidents to be reported. We are working closely with Ryanair and the Spanish authorities on the investigation.”
