A harrowing encounter with racism has left an Indian-American family from Boston shaken after a fellow passenger launched into a tirade against them on a United Airlines transfer bus last week. The incident, partially recorded by Pervez Taufiq, the father of the family, has drawn widespread condemnation and reignited discussions on racial prejudice.
According to Taufiq, the confrontation began when the woman, seated next to his 11-year-old son during the flight, made bizarre remarks and later berated his four-year-old on the transfer bus. "She's yelling at him, the four-year-old, and says, 'shut up, just shut up,'" Taufiq said. “I snapped and told her, ‘don’t you ever speak to my son that way. You have no right.’”
The situation escalated after the flight landed and passengers boarded the shuttle bus. The woman reportedly made racial remarks, showed them middle fingers, and questioned their American identity. “You’re from India. You have no respect,” she is heard saying in the video Taufiq posted online. She also made derogatory comments like, “Your family has no rules; you think you can push everyone, push, push, push.”
When Taufiq responded sarcastically, she retaliated with more profanity, saying she would record his “tandoori a**” and took her phone out.
The video also captures her emphatically stating, "I'm American," to which Taufiq responded, "So are we." The woman shot back in disbelief, "No, you're not American."
Taufiq then offered to show his passport to prove his identity.
United Airlines staff intervened after Taufiq insisted the woman, who he claimed appeared intoxicated, be removed from the bus. "Get off the bus, racist," he is heard saying in the video. A bystander corroborated Taufiq’s account, prompting the airline to escort the woman off the bus.
In a social media post recounting the ordeal, Taufiq expressed gratitude toward United Airlines for their swift action. "I'm thankful United got her off the bus ultimately, and a few fellow passengers stood up for us," he wrote.
Taufiq and his wife Nicole, wedding photographers who have travelled to 34 countries, revealed this was their first experience explaining racism to their children. “Our 11-year-old is processing what happened. Every day he asks new questions, and it’s heartbreaking to see him grapple with this,” Nicole said.
The couple hopes to identify the woman and pursue legal action. "I’d love for her to face charges and get the message that people like her are in the minority," Taufiq remarked.
“This is not acceptable. If you see it, stand up, say something, be with the person that's going through this,” he said, adding that only one person spoke up for him on the bus.
United Airlines has reportedly put the racist woman on a no-fly list.
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