Racism is not history

THE latest episode of Doctor Who told the story of Rosa Parks, the black woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Alabama in 1955.

Last week, an elderly, disabled black woman was forced to move plane seats because of racist ranting by an abusive white man.

Rosa Parks’s stance caused a boycott of the bus service. Could the same happen to Ryanair? RAY MUNRO-CRUMP,

Horsham, W. Sussex. I HAVE flown on Ryanair many times and though they are the cheapest airline on many routes, their service has improved from a low base over the past couple of years.

However, if you don’t pay extra to book a seat in advance, they make you suffer.

Even if the plane has empty seats and you are a family with children, they will put you in different rows.

The abused lady and her daughter should have been allowed to sit next to each other as a matter of course.

The crew handled the situation badly — the abusive man should have been removed from the plane.

B. BERNSTEIN, London N12. WHY did the BBC imply that Rosa Parks’s courageous action could not happen without the help of a white person, albeit Doctor Who from the future? The past is sacrosanct.

C. VEGLIO, address supplied