Dublin-based Ryanair airline is under fire after a viral video showed a man hurling racially-charged insults at an elderly black woman on a flight.
The video featuring white man yelling at the woman, calling her an “ugly black bastard,” has catalyzed some travelers to discuss boycotting the airline. It was filmed by a passenger on the flight who posted it to his Facebook page. The has gone viral on social media, launching a magnitude of support in reporting the man for his behavior.
The woman was traveling with her daughter, to honor the passing of her late husband last year.
A flight attendant attempted to ease the situation, suggesting another seating arrangement for the woman and not the man. Originally, she refused. The man also called the woman a “cow,” referenced her Jamaican accent and threatened to harm her. According to HuffPost, he was not asked to switch seats or to leave.
RELATED: American Airlines Apologizes To Rapper Wale Amid Racism Accusations
The flight crew is also under fire for not asking the man to switch seats or kicking him off of the flight entirely. The woman’s daughter said they didn’t recall hearing any racial slur in the argument after she complained.
A Ryanair representative told BBC, “We will not tolerate unruly behaviour like this. We will be taking this matter further and disruptive or abusive behaviour like this will result in passengers being banned from travel.” Essex Police said they “take prejudice-based crime seriously and we want all incidents to be reported.” According to the Financial Times, the man has yet to be identified or respond to the incident that.
As for the woman and her daughter, we hope they are in high spirits now, as this terrible incident has been made public.
