Racist Abuse On Ryanair – Who, Exactly, Is At Fault Here?

We’ve an incident of what is being called racist abuse upon Ryanair. And it’s the airline that is being blamed too, which does seem a touch unfair. They’re not the police now, are they? Certainly, one can – and should – blame the perpetrator of said abuse. One could also complain about whichever legal authority is or isn’t going to do something about it. But the airline? Their job is getting people to an airport the next county over from their destination, isn’t it?

Irish airline Rayanair is facing boycott threats and widespread backlash for ignoring a white passenger’s racist tirade caught in a viral video last week, according to The New York Times.

Us consumers can – indeed should – take our trade elsewhere if we’re unhappy in any manner with whatever. That’s how market economic systems work. The question is rather, who is actually to blame here?

Well, obviously enough, our gammon man there is going to be to blame for whatever. But after him?

The video clip, which has been viewed more than 4.6 million times on Lawrence’s Facebook page, appears to show the woman’s daughter exchanging words with the male passenger, who repeatedly insists that the 77-year-old woman be moved.

“I tell you this: If you don’t go to another seat, I’ll put you to another seat,” he says to her at one point.

When the elderly woman responds with a Jamaican accent, the man says, “Don’t talk to me in a f—ing foreign language, you stupid ugly cow,” and later calls her an “ugly black bastard.”

Who knows, it’s even possible that drink may have been taken.

The incident took place just before the flight – FR9015 – was scheduled to leave from Barcelona for London Stansted on Friday afternoon. Ryanair have now said the incident has been reported to Essex police.

So, what should actually have been done? Whether or not it’s allowable to be racist in that manner in public has, as far as England is concerned, already been decided. No. So, what should have been done?

Well, obviously, Ryanair could have called the police. Had the bloke escorted off the plane. Made absolutely everyone what, an hour late to their destination? That’s an awful lot of cost on a full airplane you know. Should Ryanair even be the police in that situation?

Which leads on to what might happen now. Or not, as the case may be. There would most certainly be a talking to in a police station about this if it had happened in Britain. But it didn’t:

s.92(1) Civil Aviation Act 1982 if airline isn’t registered in UK (RyanAir is registered in Dublin) then aircraft must be ‘in flight’ to the UK for UK Law to apply. It wasn’t in flight. It was sat on the tarmac in Barcelona. Offender should have been handed to police immediately! https://t.co/X5OOQAGm7k

— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) October 22, 2018

If anyone at all can prosecute for this it should be the Spanish authorities. And that’s as likely as what?

All of which leads me, at least, to conclude that other than the bloke doing the shouting there’s not really anyone to blame here. Just one of those things as far as the law is concerned. And what say you? The entire planeload made to wait? What?