The FINANCIAL — The CEO of one of the world’s largest airlines Michael O’Leary, 58 is facing criticism after saying that terrorists “will generally be males of a Muslim persuasion.” O’Leary is known for his provocative remarks that keep Ryanair’s name in the headlines.
In an interview with The Times, the businessman said that if the tactic were deployed to prevent terrorism, it would “generally be males of a Muslim persuasion” who were flagged. Mr O’Leary, 58, criticised existing airport security and said that checks for families should be less stringent as “the chances [they] are going to blow them all up is zero,” according to The Times.
O’Leary’s interview with the Times included a number of disparaging comments, including calling the need for wheelchair facilities on every floor of a Dublin office building “complete and utter nonsense.” He made fun of transgender rights and the need for gender-neutral bathrooms; and called obese passengers “monsters” who should consider buying two seats, Business Insider wrote.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) criticized Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary. “These comments are openly racist. He openly advocates discrimination against “males of a Muslim persuasion”, which presumably is not based on specific intelligence but solely whether someone ‘looks or acts like a Muslim’. This is the very definition of Islamophobia, is said in the MCB’s statement.
Ryanair has denied that airline boss Michael O’Leary called for Muslim men to face extra security checks at airports, after he sparked outrage for suggesting male Muslim men travelling alone are more likely to carry out acts of terror. ‘Michael was only calling for more effective airport security checks which would do away with much of the unnecessary queues at airport security today for all passengers,’ said Ryanair’s spokesman. The airline chief is no stranger to controversial remarks – particularly his criticisms of environmentalists and travel agents. He once said: ‘The best thing you can do with environmentalists is shoot them,’ Daily Mail reported.
Ryanair said in a statement released on Saturday that “no call for extra checks on any group or persons was made” by Mr O’Leary in the Times interview, headlined “Airline boss wants extra checks on Muslim men”. “Michael was only calling for more effective airport security checks which would do away with much of the unnecessary queues at airport security today for all passengers,” a spokesperson said. “He apologises sincerely for any offence caused to any group by today’s inaccurate headline.” Airlines in the UK have previously said airport security checks should be reduced to improve the experience for passengers, according to BBC.
The businessman also criticised millennials when asked for his thoughts on gender fluidity, adding it was only a matter of time until his male air stewards started “wearing skirts”. Mr O’Leary also raised concerns about obesity but said problems were worse in the US and the UK. “If you have complete monsters you may need to buy two seats,” he said, “But we are not in Europe the way they are in North America, where it’s a huge issue.” Yesterday morning, referring to the story in The Times, Ryanair said: “The headline in today’s paper is simply inaccurate. No call for extra checks on any group or persons was made. “Michael was only calling for more effective airport security checks which would do away with much of the unnecessary queues at airport security today for all passengers. He apologises sincerely for any offence caused to any group by today’s inaccurate headline,” Independent wrote.
Ryanair, in a statement sent to Euronews, said: “The headline in today’s paper is simply inaccurate. No call for extra checks on any group or persons was made. Michael was only calling for more effective airport security checks which would do away with much of the unnecessary queues at airport security today for all passengers. He apologises sincerely for any offence caused to any group by today’s inaccurate headline.” In a wide-ranging interview with the Times, O’Leary branded most airport security “utterly useless”, complained that airlines unfairly got the blame for climate change, and said requirements that Ryanair’s Dublin offices have disabled access to all floors were “nonsense,” Euronews reported.
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