Indian-American family was racially abused by a fellow passenger on a United flight

Indian-American family was racially abused by a fellow passenger on a United flight

An Indian-American family was the target of a racist tirade from a fellow United Airlines passenger that was caught on video.

Wedding photographer Pervez Taufiq had just flown with his family from Cancun to Los Angeles last week when a woman on an airport shuttle made racist comments toward family members, including his two young sons.

“Her family comes from India. You have no respect, you have no rules, you think you can push, push, push, push anyone,” the woman said to Taufiq and his family, according to a video the artist shared on Instagram on November 24. “That’s what you think.” you are. You guys are fucking crazy.”

The incident began before the bus ride on the flight itself, where Taufiq’s 11-year-old son was sitting in the same row as the woman.

According to a video shared by the photographer on Instagram (@ptaufiqphotography/Instagram), a woman attacked Pervez Taufiq and his family with a racist tirade.

According to a video shared by the photographer on Instagram (@ptaufiqphotography/Instagram), a woman attacked Pervez Taufiq and his family with a racist tirade.

“She made comments to him during the flight,” Taufiq said The Independent. “She said, ‘Are you Indian?’ He’s 11, so he said, ‘Yes, I’m Indian.'”

“And she asks, ‘Are you from New Delhi?’ And he said, ‘No, my family is from Bombay,’ and that’s where the whole thing started,” Taufiq added. “Then she said, ‘Oh, I need to talk to your parents.'”

Taufiq described his 11-year-old son as respectful and calm throughout the flight, noting that the flight attendant even praised the boy’s good behavior.

He’s “so quiet and literally just plays on his iPad… he’s really well behaved, to be honest,” Taufiq said.

When Taufiq’s family met the woman again after disembarking and boarding the shuttle bus on the tarmac, Taufiq said the woman told his other son, who is four, to “shut up.”

“She turns to our youngest son, who was outside talking about the plane, and says, ‘Shut up,'” Taufiq said The Independent.

“I think I went into fight or flight a little bit and said, ‘Don’t you ever fucking talk to my son like that,'” Taufiq added. “‘You have no right to do this,'” he added. “And that’s when her husband stood up and literally got in my face like he was going to hit me,” Taufiq said.

The video, which went viral on Instagram, starts shortly afterwards. In the footage, the woman can be seen giving Taufiq her middle finger before taking out her phone to film him.

“I’m going to record your f***ing tandoori ass,” she said in the video, referring to an Indian cooking method.

Pervez Taufiq told The Independent the woman was removed from the airport bus after she fired racist comments against him and his family (@ptaufiqphotography/Instagram)

Pervez Taufiq told The Independent the woman was removed from the airport bus after she fired racist comments against him and his family (@ptaufiqphotography/Instagram)

United Airlines representatives later intervened, as can be seen in the video. Taufiq said they removed the woman from the bus and placed her on a no-fly list.

“She was incredibly, incredibly abusive,” Taufiq said in the video. “Her husband got in my face…United handled it like a champ and will essentially put her on the no-fly list.”

When contacted about the incident and asked to confirm whether the woman had been placed on a no-fly list, a United Airlines spokesperson said The Independent They have no “additional information to share.” The Independent has also reached out to the Los Angeles Airport Police Department for comment.

Taufiq said only one person – seen in the video telling United officials that the woman was being disruptive – stood up for his family during the incident.

“What worried me and even the kids was that no one was standing up for us, no one, just this one guy, and even he was a little late to bat,” Taufiq said The Independent.

“As she was being taken off the bus, people started tapping me on the shoulder,” he continued.

Taufiq and his family are doing well, he said, but was shaken by the incident.

“We are very grateful for the support … and seeing our community pulling together,” Taufiq said. “It’s nice to see people saying they stood up for us. I would like to believe that.”

He added: “I just hope we find her and tell her it’s not OK, you can’t do something like that. That’s all I care about.”

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