British man dragged off Ryanair flight by police
‘You’re hurting him!’
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Your support makes all the difference.A British passenger was dragged off a Ryanair flight by police officers in Portugal.
Passenger Rafik Boutiche was flying from Faro airport to London Stansted when the incident happened.
In footage shared on social media, four police officers are seen grabbing his neck and attempting to pull him out of his seat, in what Mr Boutiche claims was “excessive force”.
The passenger claims that the row started when a cabin crew member objected to him moving seat. Police were then called when she accused him of shoving her, which he denies, as reported by The Mirror.
The incident was filmed by Mr Boutiche’s friend Islam Fessih.
Mr Boutiche can be heard shouting to the police officers: “You’re breaking my neck!”. Another passenger shouts in the background: “You’re hurting him.”
Mr Fessih is heard begging Mr Boutiche to let the police officers take him off the plane.
Mr Fessih also showed an image of Mr Boutiche’s bag, which was ripped at the seams. “His bag is literally ripped and he is injured,” read the post.
He shared the footage on Twitter, where it has had more than 1.8 million views.
The friends spent the night at a hotel in Faro, according to a post shared on Instagram by Mr Fessih. It’s unclear whether they’ll be able to fly back on another Ryanair flight today.
The Independent has contacted Ryanair for a statement.
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