Ryanair face boycott calls after racist incident allowed on board

Ryanair is now facing a boycott after refusing to remove a passenger from a flight after he used racial insults against an older black woman.

In a video recorded by a fellow passenger and posted on Facebook, a man can be heard calling the woman “ugly black bastard” and threatening to push her as passengers boarded a flight from Barcelona to Stansted on Friday last.

The man shouts: "Don't talk to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow."

Ryanair reported the incident to the local police force on arrival.

“Essex Police takes prejudice-based crime seriously and we want all incidents to be reported,” the Essex police said in a statement to the New York Times.

“We are working closely with Ryanair and the Spanish authorities on the investigation.”

Labour Party MP David Lammy began the calls to boycott Ryanair, writing, "Ok boycott @Ryanair if they think it’s ok for a racist man to abuse an elderly black woman and remain on the plane. It’s 63 years since Rosa Parks said 'no' to sitting on the back of the Bus and we ain’t going back."  

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The woman's daughter told HuffPost UK that she and her mother will never fly Ryanair again.

“The underlying reason behind the man’s abusive behavior comes down to the fact that my mum is a black woman and he didn’t want her sitting next to him," she told HuffPost.

"He says it in the video.”

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"This is black history month," she added. "My mother has worked here all of her life, paid her taxes and her dues. Why should she have to go through all of this?”

Many British members of parliament have said they will be addressing the issue in Parliament.

Do you fly with Ryanair? Tell us why, or why not, in the comments section, below.