Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Terrorists are 'generally Muslims': Ryanair CEO

MUSLIM men should be profiled at airports as terrorists will "generally be of a Muslim persuasion", Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said in an interview published Saturday (22), sparking accusations of racism.

"Who are the bombers?" the budget airline's controversial chief executive said while discussing airport security in the interview with the Times newspaper.


"They are going to be single males travelling on their own... If you are travelling with a family of kids, on you go; the chances you are going to blow them all up is zero."

"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."

A spokesman from the Muslim council of Britain accused O'Leary of "Islamophobia".

O'Leary was "encouraging racism", Labour MP Khalid Mahmood told the newspaper.

"In Germany this week a white person killed eight people. Should we profile white people to see if they're being fascists?"

The Ryanair CEO is known for his controversial views and has floated proposals to charge fliers to use the toilet during Ryanair flights and a "fat tax" on obese passengers.

More For You

UK Food Prices

Supermarkets have been increasingly vocal about what they describe as “policy costs” building up across the sector.

iStock

Lower food prices or sustainability? The dilemma facing UK shoppers

  • A £2bn packaging tax is under review amid inflation fears.
  • Retailers warn costs could add £56 a year to household bills.
  • Food inflation could rise as high as 9–10 per cent this year.

The UK government is reviewing its sustainable packaging tax, known as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, as pressure builds over rising food prices in the UK. The move comes as retailers warn that the policy, designed to make businesses pay for packaging waste, could push grocery bills higher at a time when inflation risks are already returning.

At the centre of the debate is a simple question: should environmental policy come ahead of affordability, or can both realistically move together?

Keep ReadingShow less