A man who was filmed racially abusing an elderly woman on a Ryanair flight has been identified, police said.
Footage posted on social media appeared to show a plane passenger calling Delsie Gayle an “ugly black bastard” and telling her “don’t speak to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow”.
The incident is believed to have taken place on Ryanair flight FR015 at Barcelona Airport on October 19th, before it left for London Stansted.
This racist white man refused to sit next to an elderly black woman on a Ryanair flight.
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) October 20, 2018
He called her an "ugly black bastard" & threatened to push her to another seat if she didn't move to another seat.
Ryanair - DOES NOTHING!!!
UK twitter identify HIM!!!
RETWEET THIS! pic.twitter.com/70XNsvTZBg
Essex Police said on Tuesday: “We have worked to identify both parties involved in this incident and passed the information to the Spanish authorities who are leading on this investigation.
“Our officers will continue to provide assistance where necessary throughout the course of this case.”
The woman who was subject to the abuse said she felt “very low” about the incident.
Speaking to ITV News, Mrs Gayle (77), from east London, said: “I feel very low. He pays his fare, I pay mine. So why did he abuse me for that? Because of the colour of my skin.
“If I had done that to him, I’m sure they would have called the police.”
Ms Gayle said her experience has discouraged her from flying with the low-cost airline in future.
She continued: “I feel really depressed about it. I go to bed and say: ‘what have I done?’ I haven’t done anything to attack him, it’s because of the colour of my skin I was abused like that.
“I decided I would not fly with that airline because they don’t treat you with no respect.”
Her daughter, Carol, who was with her mother on the Barcelona flight, criticised Ryanair’s response and claimed they have not yet received an apology from the airline.
She told ITV News: “He should have been moved or taken off the plane and nothing was done.
“I know if that was a black person racially abusing an elderly woman the police would have been involved. It would have been a different matter.
“Nobody has apologised. We’ve not had nothing. We just want an open apology from Ryanair.
“I can’t even watch the video any more, it’s just so upsetting.” – PA