Barcelona City Council to report racist attack on Ryanair flight

Deputy mayor Jaume Asens announces move on social media, while FACUA urges Catalan government to fine airline following their inaction

Screenshot from racist incident on Ryanair flight
Screenshot from racist incident on Ryanair flight / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

October 23, 2018 09:28 PM

The Barcelona City Council has pledged to report the Ryanair passenger who was filmed berating an elderly black woman with racist insults. Deputy Mayor Jaume Asens announced as such on his twitter account, condemning the behavior witnessed on the flight between the Catalan and English capitals, and further deeming the airline’s response “unacceptable.”

Additionally, NGO FACUA (Consumers in Action) urged the Catalan government to fine the airline following the “racist and xenophobic attack” last Friday. FACUA insisted that the airline not go unpunished following facts they qualify as “serious” and that they be “heavily” fined.

Following the video of the attack going viral, Ryanair, in fact, came under fire for not removing the perpetrator from the flight. Indeed, staff instead asked the 77-year old woman to move. The man had refused to sit next to her and hurled racist insults at her, calling her a "black bastard" and a "stupid ugly cow."