Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has refused to apologize after facing widespread criticism for comparing other airlines to 'rapists,' a remark he defended as appropriate.
Victims' groups and politicians in the UK and Ireland condemned O'Leary's comments, made ahead of Ryanair's annual general meeting in Dublin. He alleged that rising air travel prices at competitors like British Airways and Lufthansa would drive passengers to Ryanair's lower fares. "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," he told reporters.
When asked if the language was offensive to victims of rape and sexual assault, O'Leary stated he would "happily offend" the airlines. He also rejected the assertion that his remarks trivialized rape, calling it a "terrible crime."
Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), urged O'Leary to issue a "swift apology" and called his comments "lazy and uninformed," stating they would be "deeply hurtful and angering" to survivors.
In a letter responding to the DRCC, O'Leary wrote that he had described rape as a "heinous crime" and that comments suggesting his remarks "perpetuate dismissive attitudes to survivors of rape" were "both false and defamatory." He asserted that he would not issue an apology or accept an offer of training on sexual violence.
Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England and Wales, called the comparison "shameful and embarrassing" and "deeply insulting to survivors of rape and sexual abuse." Katie Kempen, chief executive at Victim Support in England and Wales, described the remarks as "appalling, offensive, completely unacceptable and deeply insulting."
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander suggested that O'Leary's comments would alienate women who have been subjected to sexual assault, stating she doubted they would "be rushing to book tickets with him."
Irish politicians also voiced their disapproval. Jack Chambers, Ireland's Public Expenditure Minister, called the comments "shocking" and urged O'Leary to withdraw them, emphasizing that victims should never be put in that light in the context of aviation competition. Deputy premier Simon Harris stated the language was "clearly an inappropriate use of language" and that O'Leary "should have moved to rectify it."
Corrinne Hasson, executive director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, said the remarks were "completely inappropriate and deeply offensive to survivors of sexual violence," adding that comparing rape to selling airline tickets "undermines the experiences and trauma of survivors" and contributes to a "rape culture."
Ruth Coppinger, a Socialist Party TD in Ireland, described O'Leary's use of the word "rapists" as "disgusting" for trivializing rape and sexual assault to gain media attention. She called for an apology and for the remarks to be withdrawn.
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