Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary Photo: picture alliance / NurPhoto
By BZ/afp
Climate activists attacked the boss of the Irish budget airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, with cakes in Brussels on Thursday.
“Welcome to Belgium,” shouted a climate activist as she pushed her cake into the boss’s face, as seen in images from Belgian broadcasters LN24 and RTL Info. “Stop the pollution,” shouted the other climate protester as she pummeled the 62-year-old entrepreneur with the cake.
During the cake attack in front of the EU Commission building in Brussels, O’Leary stood next to a cardboard figure depicting Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He was about to stage a one-man protest against numerous air traffic controller strikes in the EU that are affecting Ryanair’s business.
He responded to the cake attack with a laugh, wiped the cream off his face, and then asked a member of staff to arrange for his suit to be cleaned. He later published a photo of himself in the smeared state on the online service X (formerly Twitter) and the following text: “The passengers are so satisfied” with the new Ryanair connections “that they are celebrating with cake”.
O’Leary’s company is regularly criticized by unions for its human resources practices and the working conditions of its pilots. The pilots of the Irish low-cost airline working in Belgium have announced another strike for September 14th and 15th. They demand better salaries and longer rest periods between flights. It is their fourth strike in two months.