UK transport secretary says women not 'rushing to book' Ryanair flights after 'rapist' comment
Michael O’Leary has been asked to withdraw the “disgusting” remarks and apologise.
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RYANAIR CHIEF EXECUTIVE Michael O’Leary has refused to apologise after he was accused of trivialising rape.
O’Leary was heavily criticised by victims’ groups and politicians in both Ireland and the UK on Thursday after he said it was “absolutely” appropriate to compare competitor airlines to “rapists”.
He was urged to offer a “swift apology” by the chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), Rachel Morrogh, who said he had trivialised rape.
Morrogh said she would write to O’Leary to “offer him training on how the trivialisation of rape is so harmful”.
In a published responding letter today, O’Leary said he had described rape as a “heinous crime” when speaking to the media on Thursday.
He said: “Since I certainly did not trivialise the heinous crime of rape, I will certainly not be issuing any apology or accepting your offer of training.”
He said comments from the DRCC that his remarks “perpetuate dismissive attitudes to survivors of rape” were “both false and defamatory”, adding that he “clearly asserted” that rape is a heinous crime and “accordingly its survivors are victims of a heinous crime”.
Elsewhere today, UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said O’Leary’s comparison of other airlines to “rapists” will have lost his company the confidence of women who have been subject to sexual assault.
She was asked for her thoughts on O’Leary’s comments, which have also drawn condemnation from Tánaiste Simon Harris and a number of other TDs.
Alexander told LBC: “I’ve learnt in this job in the last two years, that Mr O’Leary is often quick to share his considered thoughts with me and with the wider world.
“I would say that women who have been raped and who have been subjected to such appalling violence, I’m not sure they’re going to be rushing to book tickets with him, let’s be honest.”
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Speaking ahead of his airline’s annual general meeting on Thursday, he claimed rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair.
He told reporters at the company’s headquarters: “You might find some people will choose not to fly with Ryanair, but you know they’ll be overrun with the people abandoning Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, BA, and others desperate to get to Ryanair’s low fares because they can’t afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe.”
Asked by the Press Association whether this was appropriate language, O’Leary told reporters: “Absolutely.”
He later said rape was a “terrible crime” but rejected the assertion he was trivialising rape.
In a statement on Thursday, executive director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland Corrinne Hasson told The Journal that the comments are “completely inappropriate and deeply offensive to survivors of sexual violence”.
Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said she believed the remarks were likely not off-the-cuff, because O’Leary “knows it will get covered in the media”.
“It’s a provocative comment in order to have a cut at his competitors, and to throw around the word rapists like that is just very offensive and hurtful to survivors and victims of sexual assault and rape,” the Dublin West TD said.
Simon Harris said the comments were “clearly an inappropriate use of language” and O’Leary “should have moved to rectify it”.
Asked if he should apologise, Harris told reporters at his Fine Gael party think-in: “I think he should listen to the experts and there’s been many out today.”
Leading rape support groups, including the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rape Crisis Ireland and Rape Crisis England & Wales were among those who also criticised O’Leary’s remarks.
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