A simple explanation of why the Air India plane crash survivor is British, no questions asked

Yesterday, an Air India flight to London crashed shortly after it took off. Out of 242 people onboard, only one person survived the crash. Vishwaskumar Ramesh is a British national of Indian origin. He was sitting near an emergency exit and somehow managed to escape the wreckage, limping away covered in blood but alive. It’s a miracle that anyone survived such a terrible crash.

But as soon as news spread that the survivor was British, the racist comments started flooding in. People questioned if he was “really” British just because he has brown skin. They made cruel jokes about his name and said mean things which I won’t repeat.

This kind of racism is not just hurtful, it’s completely wrong

Image credit: Xinhua/Shutterstock

It’s important to know that being British is not about what colour your skin is or where your family comes from. It’s about who you are and where you belong. Britain is a mix of people from all over the world. That’s what makes it great. To say someone isn’t British because of their race is outdated and plain wrong. Being British isn’t about having a certain surname or looking a certain way. Vishwash is British. Full stop. He is a British national who lives, works and pays taxes here. It shouldn’t even be up for debate.

The man who survived that crash deserves compassion, respect, and space to heal, not this kind of small-minded hate. It’s sad that instead of focusing on the sheer miracle of his survival, some people chose to attack his identity.

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This is the same tired conversation we’ve had for years. But this country has always been made up of different people, different cultures, different backgrounds. That is Britishness.

So what can you do?

Call it out. Every time. Don’t just shrug it or scroll past the comments. Challenge them. Educate people. Talk to your friends about why this stuff matters. You might not think a joke or comment makes a difference, but to someone like Vishwash, who just survived a literal plane crash, seeing people question whether he belongs in the country he calls home hits hard.

This country is for everyone. If you care about fairness, equality, and decency, then this is your fight too. As a brown person living here, I can tell you it’s not always easy. You carry the weight of these assumptions with you; at work, at school, in shops, on the bus. Don’t make it heavier.

People need to stop acting like British people from culturally diverse backgrounds have to prove they belong. They already do.

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