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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this racist should have been kicked off this RyanAir flight?

389 replies

WickedGoodDoge · 21/10/2018 10:44

I’m not going to repeat the language this passenger used here, but basically he refused to sit next to a black passenger resulting in her being moved and staff asking the man if he was OK once she was moved.

RyanAir have released a terse statement saying it’s been referred to Essex Police

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/daughter-of-ryanair-racist-abuse-victim-speaks-out-following-on-flight-attack_uk_5bcb4379e4b055bc94811e92/

OP posts:
Original poster
WickedGoodDoge · 21/10/2018 21:06

Not keen on mob justice either, but I suspect that without Twitter/fb, RyanAir would have been happy for this incident to quietly slip away without any consequences for the racist man. Essex Police confirmed that they only received the information this morning which would have been after the video went viral. If it hadn’t, I suspect RyanAir wouldn’t have done a damn thing.

In the absence of social media, we would have had angry racist man getting exactly what he wanted, plus more as he ended up with a whole empty row to himself, therefore thinking his racism is entirely justified and he can say/do what he wants because no one with authority will stand up to him (getting the pilot to remove him, have police waiting on landing- whatever you may think the best solution).

I’d bet nothing would have happened with RyanAir hoping it would quietly go away and that’s not OK. At all. I’m still not convinced much will happen and suspect it’ll get tangled into a “It happened on Spanish soil so nothing we can do” etc, but at least the woman and daughter can take a bit of comfort in the number of people condemning openly racist behaviour. Which it was- regardless of what may or may not have happened before the video started (ITV have an interview with the witness if anyone wants to hear his version).

OP posts:
BigChocFrenzy · 21/10/2018 21:10

Yes, it is baffling
Sometimes cases are unclear, because we can't see what happened
In this case we can see that a racist crime was committed

What the Twitter storm is doing is pressuring Ryanair - and Essex police - to take action
instead of sweeping it under the carpet.
Good.

Ryanair in particular needs to instruct their staff so they contact the police about aggressive thugs who commit crimes,
preferably before those abusive thugs are allowed to take off, but at least notify the destination airport to have police waiting.

It could have been dangerous if there had been a young macho black man on board who decided to retaliate
and that might have happened later during the flight, if details of the disturbance took some time to reach everyone.

Roussette · 21/10/2018 21:12

You're totally right Wicked. Ryanair are profits before people and they would've just swept this under the carpet without the guy filming it, who incidentally has been interviewed and said how shocked he was at their inaction.

I imagine he's the one saying 'throw him off the plane' which can be heard.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/10/2018 21:28

Essex Police confirmed that they only received the information this morning

I must admit I hadn't seen this bit ... do you have a link lease?

Original poster
WickedGoodDoge · 21/10/2018 21:32

Puzzled It’s at the end of this article:

news.sky.com/story/amp/ryanair-criticised-over-footage-of-passenger-racially-abusing-woman-11531675

OP posts:
Graphista · 21/10/2018 21:32

Thank you puzzledand Blush

There's absolutely no reason why alcohol needs to be sold in airports and on flights, and many reasons why it's inadvisable! Not just behaviourally but medically too.

There's DEFINITELY not one good reason anyone inebriated should be allowed on a plane and I'd like ALLOWING them on to become an offence (if it isn't already quick google suggests not but I'm not an expert on aviation law)

It gets very wearing seeing mentally illness cited as why people behave like arses! No they behave like arses cos they're arses!

BananaBonanza · 21/10/2018 21:40

The woman's DD could have reported it sooner....

Roussette · 21/10/2018 21:47

Banana she tried to and was told to ring Customer Services on Monday. The flight was on Friday

isitfridayyet1 · 21/10/2018 21:52

This is a disgrace! Never have and never will fly Ryanair!

Topseyt · 21/10/2018 21:52

She did try, Banana. Unfortunately I now know from personal experience that Ryanair's customer service (if you can call it that) do virtually nothing over the weekend.

Roussette · 21/10/2018 22:00

I'm just amazed Banana that you are defending the indefensible.

Sparklesocks · 21/10/2018 22:04

Roussette really trying hard for some reason

MiroUnicorn · 21/10/2018 22:13

Sadly, this happens a lot! My DF (black) of mine was on a bus (the only person on the lower floor). She was talking on her phone. Old white man gets on, walks to the back of the bus and sits right in front of her, and proceeds to berate her - initially for talking on the phone and then for 'being in this country' and then for not having the decency to have an English accent?! Halloween Confused Halloween Angry Shouting at her to move to another seat as far away from him as possible, preferably on the top deck of the bus. She initially ignored him, but then he tried to hit her with his walking stick, so she told him if she was bothering him that much, he could move as he actually found her seated there and the bus was empty so he could choose to move if he wished. Well, he flew into a huge rage to the point that a couple of lads from the top deck came down to see what the raucous was about, and offered to walk my friend the rest of the way (cos the driver refused to intervene and luckily my friend wasn't too far from her stop). That said, despite the help from members of the public, her feeling of being less than due looked down upon cos of the colour of her skin and being berated for it, took a while to abate.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 21/10/2018 22:16

I wasn't aware that the lady was in a wheel chair. Therefore not only is a rasict. Hes also disablist.Angry

fieldgold · 21/10/2018 22:18

Will all be forgotten about tomorrow anyway no matter what happened.

Roussette · 21/10/2018 22:22

It won't be forgotten about tomorrow, even the Washington Post is reporting on it! Ryanair will have to act because this is very damaging for them

fieldgold · 21/10/2018 22:24

Roussette,

I guarantee this will be forgotten very soon.

The next issue to cause rage from the twitterati will emerge.

Roussette · 21/10/2018 22:27

Issues roll on and on sometimes... I guarantee it won't be forgotten tomorrow as you say.

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess · 21/10/2018 22:32

And as someone who does have mental illness I find the REPEATED ascribing of shit behaviour to these possibilities really fucking offensive!

A few MN posters always try to play down dreadful behaviour by claiming MH may be involved

FFS, no one has done this! RTFT properly.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 21/10/2018 22:35

Are you the racist disablist idiot himself, Banana

BananaBonanza · 21/10/2018 22:35

Essex Police have email reporting.... crimestoppers too... But actually it should have been reported to the Barcelona police as they were in spain. so perhaps that's what happened and why the Essex police only found out on Monday.

Roussette · 21/10/2018 22:45

Eh? I think not. Ryanair confirmed at 1am on Twitter that they had reported the matter to Essex Police.

After the clip went viral.

Nice try!

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess · 21/10/2018 22:47

Are you the racist disablist idiot himself, Banana

Why do posters think it's clever or amusing to post this every time someone presents a possible alternative viewpoint? Banana is simply pointing out that all is not necessarily what it seems, even when an incident is on film. Not one poster on this thread has condoned the despicable things that man said on the plane. Not one. But it is nonetheless true to point out that we can't hear the whole of the exchange between them. I can't offhand think of anything that would excuse his behaviour, but I would still be interested to know how it developed. And I do also happen to suspect the man was demonstrating slightly odd behaviour and mannerisms. Again, that doesn't excuse him. It's an observation, but it MIGHT explain why staff were seemingly cautious in their dealings with him.

BananaBonanza · 21/10/2018 23:09

No honestly the crime should have been reported to Spain if the woman or her DD had so desired.
www.gov.uk/victim-crime-abroad
Saying she had to wait until police customer services was open in essex makes little sense when they have email reporting and it needed to be done in Spain anyway. She didn't need to wait for Ryanair to do anything

Twitter mob justice is instant of course but a little less thorough in its investigations.

There's an awful lot of froth and nonsense surrounding this incident. Why I'm glad the Police are dealing and not Twitter.

Graphista · 21/10/2018 23:22

@Ohdear - I've read every post on this thread. A few posters HAVE said that maybe his behaviour was due to LD/MI/autism - which is a pile of steaming bollocks!!