The Ryanair chief executive, Michael O’Leary, has been criticised for “abhorrent” discrimination and encouraging fascists after he said terrorists “will generally be males of a Muslim persuasion”.
Criticising existing airport security checks, O’Leary advocated profiling Muslim men because, he said, the chances of someone travelling with their family and kids blowing them all up “is fucking zero”.
He told the Times: “You can’t say stuff, because it’s racism, but it will generally be males of a Muslim persuasion. Thirty years ago it was the Irish. If that is where the threat is coming from, deal with the threat.”
His remarks were condemned as Islamophobic and threatening community relations, in a week in which a far-right terrorist killed nine people in Germany.
The Muslim Council of Britain said: “This is the very definition of Islamophobia. Institutional discrimination against Muslims is well-established: whether it is the ability to get a job, buy a flat or even getting car insurance. The challenges of flying while Muslim are well documented across the globe.”
Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, criticised O’Leary for “being discriminatory and basing judgments on the looks of people, which is abhorrent”. It also warned that his “flippant” statements could come back to haunt him by putting off customers.
Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, called the remarks absurd. “If he can tell me what colour Muslims are, then I’d be very happy to learn from him – you can’t judge a book by its cover,” he said. Mahmood, who is Muslim, added: “It doesn’t improve community relations. It gives succour to people of a fascist mindset. In Germany this week a white person killed eight [sic] people. Should we profile white people to see if they’re being fascists? He’s being very blinkered and is actually encouraging racism.”
In the interview, O’Leary described airport security as “utterly useless”, accusing politicians of trying to give the impression they were doing something to protect the public. He also took aim at the need for wheelchair-friendly facilities, mocked transgender people – “I’m male today and I’ll be female tomorrow” – and criticised Greta Thunberg.
The aviation magnate, who has compared himself to Jesus, is no stranger to controversy, appearing to revel in his reputation for being outspoken. He has described environmentalists as “lying wankers” and said: “The best thing you can do with environmentalists is shoot them.” He has expressed similar disdain for travel agents, saying: “Take the fuckers out and shoot them. What have they done for passengers over the years?”
Customers and staff have also been subjected to foul-mouth tirades. O’Leary called passengers who failed to print out boarding passes “stupid” and said they should “bugger off”. He ridiculed the idea that staff were a business’s most important asset, saying: “We all employ some lazy bastards who need a kick up the backside, but no one can bring themselves to admit it.”
