Disgruntled Crew Members Speak Out Over Alleged Racist Remarks Made Against Them
Spill the Whole Tea: Racist Rant on a Train
Aw, man! Here's the lowdown on a nasty incident that went down on a train journey of the German Railways.
The nitty-gritty
Several witnesses confirmed a racist mess on a regional express train cruising from Mannheim to Frankfurt last week. The first whispers of this drama unfolded on social media, and now even the German transport minister has joined the chatter.
So, what went down?
The train was jam-packed, making it difficult for people to move around. The conductor hollered through the intercom about passengers blocking the doors and causing delays. Then, outta nowhere, this guy blasted over the speakers some venomous words about "illiterates." One passenger who heard all this told Hessian Radio, "[He] started slinging other insults like 'complete idiots' and 'headscarf gangs.'"
Spreading the word
An anti-racism coach, Moaad B., was on the same ride. He blew up social media with his report of the event and the lack of bravery from fellow passengers. Moaad reached out to the train driver over the intercom to voice his concerns about the incident (which the driver flatly denied making the announcements, leaving it to the conductor). Another passenger, who was there too, said, "I couldn't believe what I was hearing!"
Cowardice all around
Moaad was dumbfounded by the inaction of other travelers. He thought it was ridiculous that no one had the guts to speak up during the ride to Frankfurt. Other passengers were sitting ducks, too chicken to intervene out of fear of causing a scene.
The German Railways' take
The German Railways publicly apologized to the affected passengers for the employee's unprofessional and discriminatory remarks. They are looking into the case further and planning on cracking down on the perpetrator, who may face anything from a simple warning to the initiation of a criminal investigation.
The German transport minister's take
The German Transport Minister Kaweh Mansoori (SPD) wasn't pleased with the situation and made it clear: "Stress doesn't justify racism. End of story." He has faith that the situation will be swiftly resolved and that the passengers' trust will be earned back.
What happened on the train journey from Mannheim to Frankfurt last week was a general-news incident of a racist rant, as confirmed by several witnesses. Politics entered the scene as the German Transport Minister, Kaweh Mansoori, expressed his displeasure and promised swift resolution, emphasizing that "stress doesn't justify racism." This disturbing crime-and-justice event also raised concerns about cowardice among fellow passengers who did not intervene during the incident.
