Michael O’Leary doubles down and accuses Rape Crisis Centre of defamation

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has refused to back down on comments he has made likening airline rivals to “rapists”.

Now, the controversial figure has sent an open letter to Rachel Morrogh, the chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, where he insisted that he “did not trivialise the crime of rape”.

He has also accused the rape crisis chief of making “false and defamatory” statements about him.

The outspoken airline chief added: “I am quite clear that no remarks of mine could possibly trivialise the heinous crime of rape”.

“You are entirely free to hold a different opinion and we are free to disagree,” he said in the letter.

“But since I clearly did not ‘trivalise’ the heinous crime of rape, I will certainly not be issuing any apology or accepting your offer of training.

“Your claim that my remarks yesterday ‘perpetuate dismissive attitudes to survivors of rape’ is both false and defamatory, when I clearly asserted in the same Q&A with the media that rape is a ‘heinous crime’ and accordingly its survivors are victims of a heinous crime.”

Mr O’Leary also said it was wrong to claim that he “dodged a question” during that interaction with media about whether or no using the term was offensive to victims of rape.

“I did not,” he said.

Before Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday, Mr O’Leary refused to accept that the use of the word “rapists” to describe the airline’s rivals was offensive to victims of sexual assault.

O Leary made the comments regarding rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair.

“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.”

The comments were immediately slammed by Dublin Rape Crisis.

'It feels like Mr O’Leary is chasing soundbites with no regard for how they may affect people. Undoubtedly, the words of high-profile individuals can contribute to trivialising and tolerating sexual violence in our society. And for many survivors of rape, his words will be deeply hurtful and angering to hear." a statement from Dublin Rape Crisis read.

“We will write to Mr O’Leary to offer him training on how the trivialisation of rape is so harmful. He has verbalised a historical trope and as a leading figure in industry, he should lead from the front in terms of what he says and does.”