Ryanair’s outspoken CEO, Michael O’Leary, found himself at the center of a protest when two environmental activists ambushed him with cream pies outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. The incident, caught on video, saw O’Leary respond with humor and sarcasm as he continued with his scheduled activities.
In a lighthearted exchange, O’Leary laughed off the cream pie attack, quipping, “Well done,” as two women approached him. The first activist greeted him with the words, “Welcome to Belgium,” before smearing a creamy dessert on his face. Her partner in protest soon followed suit, throwing another pie and shouting, “Stop the pollution of the f****** planes.” The pair then made a swift exit.
The incident occurred just as O’Leary was preparing to hold a press conference and deliver a petition to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Undeterred by the cream-covered ordeal, O’Leary playfully told reporters, “I love cream cakes; they are my favorite,” and even inquired, “Delicious cake, is there any more?”
The petition O’Leary intended to submit has garnered significant support, with over 1.5 million signatures. It calls for enhanced protection for flights over Europe, particularly in response to air traffic control strikes that led to severe disruptions earlier in the summer. In June, Ryanair was forced to cancel 900 flights due to industrial action in France.
In a quirky twist, Ryanair took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a photo of the cream pie incident, with the airline humorously remarking, “Shame it was soy-based cream, definitely not as tasty as the real stuff.”
While the pie-throwing incident was undoubtedly an unconventional form of protest, it highlights the ongoing concerns of environmental activists regarding aviation’s impact on climate change. Ryanair, a prominent low-cost carrier, continues to be a subject of scrutiny in the ongoing debate over sustainable travel.
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