Low-cost airline Ryanair is again at the center of a racist row, after video of a man being forcefully dragged off one of their planes over a bogus assault allegation has made its way online.
According to Islam Fessih, who filmed the scene, he and friend Rafik Boutiche had been in Portugal for a music festival. They had boarded the Ryanair flight to London’s Stansted from Faro Airport in the Algarve, and were just about to take off when police walked in.
A flight attendant had complained that Boutiche had punched her over a verbal argument they’d gotten into earlier, the pair tell The Mirror. Boutiche denies the accusation: he says he tried to switch seats to be closer to his friend because they were many empty seats, and the stewardess wasn’t having it. This, despite the fact that she didn’t object when white passengers did the same.
When Boutiche went back to his initially assigned seat, he “may” have accidentally made contact with the cabin crew member, Fessih concedes. However, there were no punches thrown and the woman had it out for Boutiche.
Fessih begged Boutiche to go with the police, and they both got off the plane. They were taken into custody and released without charges (which could corroborate their version of events, that the woman wasn’t assaulted), and went back to their hotel until their next flight out.
But Boutiche came out pretty roughed up from the meeting with the Portuguese cops.
“My hand is cut up, it's burning me at the moment,” he tells The Mirror over the phone. “My ankle has been sprained and my neck is hurting me. We're just two young lads, we're not looking for trouble, we just wanted to get back home. I've never experienced anything like this, I never thought it was possible to go through what I've gone through. It's made me very emotional.”
The video of the alleged act of police brutality has gone viral on social media, drawing intense criticism for Ryanair and local authorities. As of the time of writing, the airline is yet to comment on the incident.
A flight attendant had complained that Boutiche had punched her over a verbal argument they’d gotten into earlier, the pair tell The Mirror. Boutiche denies the accusation: he says he tried to switch seats to be closer to his friend because they were many empty seats, and the stewardess wasn’t having it. This, despite the fact that she didn’t object when white passengers did the same.
When Boutiche went back to his initially assigned seat, he “may” have accidentally made contact with the cabin crew member, Fessih concedes. However, there were no punches thrown and the woman had it out for Boutiche.
Fessih begged Boutiche to go with the police, and they both got off the plane. They were taken into custody and released without charges (which could corroborate their version of events, that the woman wasn’t assaulted), and went back to their hotel until their next flight out.
But Boutiche came out pretty roughed up from the meeting with the Portuguese cops.
“My hand is cut up, it's burning me at the moment,” he tells The Mirror over the phone. “My ankle has been sprained and my neck is hurting me. We're just two young lads, we're not looking for trouble, we just wanted to get back home. I've never experienced anything like this, I never thought it was possible to go through what I've gone through. It's made me very emotional.”
The video of the alleged act of police brutality has gone viral on social media, drawing intense criticism for Ryanair and local authorities. As of the time of writing, the airline is yet to comment on the incident.
I can’t believe my eyes right now, my boy was racially profiled and attacked on our flight on our way home ; there was a free seat next to me but the air hostess refused to let him sit there and accused him of punching her when the whole plane has his side. @Ryanair #justice pic.twitter.com/uaI9L3bn9z
— Islam (@Islam768) August 7, 2019