Ryanair passenger's racist rant prompts British police investigation

British police are investigating after footage of a man shouting racist abuse at an elderly black woman on a Ryanair flight went viral over the weekend, with the airline facing criticism over how it dealt with the incident. The unidentified man insulted her after complaining that she had inconvenienced him as he tried to reach his seat aboard. “Don’t talk to me in a fucking foreign language you stupid ugly cow,” the man tells the woman before a man in the row behind asks him to stop. “I will carry on as long as I can with this ugly black bastard,” he retorts. Ryanair said that they were aware of the matter and had reported it to the police. “Essex Police takes prejudice-based crime seriously and we want all incidents to be reported. We are working closely with Ryanair and the Spanish authorities on the investigation,” the police said. After the argument, the woman was eventually moved from her seat. A flight attendant appears to tell the man he will discuss the incident with his supervisor, but the passenger is left in his place. “I’ve seen airlines ground to a halt, and police called, and passengers escorted off of planes for less,” said David Lawrence, who recorded the video.<br/>