Comedy star speaks out over horrendous train journey as passenger tells him 'go back to your country'

A stand-up comedian has spoken out after being told to "go back to your own country" during an unpleasant train journey in Yorkshire.

Ignacio Lopez, a Spanish-Welsh comic who has featured on shows like Have I Got News For You and Live at The Apollo, shared his experience on social media.

He recounted: "Had a horrible experience on the way to a gig tonight. Complete opposite to the usual experience I've had in Yorkshire and the north of England previously," reports Yorkshire Live.

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"I got the train from Leeds, almost all the seats taken (so far so normal)...I was stood for a bit then noticed a free seat next to a guy, but his foot is on it, and he has a carrier bag on the seat. He wasn't an old guy (I'd say in his 30s, but I am notoriously bad at guessing ages; I've caused upset with my estimations before).

"I asked if it was cool if I sat there and he aggressively said 'someone's sitting there, mate'. I looked around and asked 'is the person your bag? '. He said 'yeah' and stared at me. I asked again if I could sit there, he said 'nah' I laughed and asked 'why you being like that, man?'

"He finally moved his leg and bag and I sat down. After a couple of minutes he asked 'what stop you getting off at? ' I replied 'Slaithwaite, is that how you say it? '. (Turns out it is very much not how you say it, I learned at the gig, people there say 'Slough-it! '). 'Near Huddersfield'. I offered.

"He replied 'Yeah? Then you should go back to your own country'. I just laughed at him. Pointless to explain my background or get into anything. People around were visibly uncomfortable. Conversations hushed.

"As I start playing with my phone he says 'you can call the police if you want'. I said 'no, not going to waste their time, they won't educate you'. Table of women opposite us asked if I wanted to swap seats. I replied 'no, I'm comfortable'. I wasn't.

"But why would I let someone else sit next to this guy, chances are if he's xenophobic he's going to be misogynistic also. He's clearly a d**k. I sat in silence for a while, with the guy eyeballing me.

"The women, trying to make conversation, and fill the awkward silence asked me where I got my leather jacket from. 'Fes, in Morocco' I explained, enthusiastically. I could feel him bubbling with rage next to me. I ignored him.

"Shortly afterwards he demanded 'let me out! Move! ', so I stood out of his way, and as he departed he said 'come to our bloody country, should go back to where you came from! '. Just as he got out of reach he said 'dickhead! ' and wandered into the next carriage.

"The women all asked if I was ok, I was bemused more than anything. Completely unprovoked nastiness from this dweeb. To top it all off, he'd been drinking Spanish beers, and had left four empty cans behind. Doesn't want Spanish people in the country, but happy to drink the beer? What a plumb."

The comedy star, who boasts a diverse family heritage including Spanish, Welsh, Irish, Moroccan, and German roots, has received a swell of support online following a troubling incident. @CBellingham tweeted: "I'm so sorry you had to experience this. He sounds like an absolute tool. You are very welcome here and I hope your gig went well, I thought you were great when I saw you on HIGNFY."

In similar spirits, @RosalynBooth7 posted: "Really sorry you had to go through that the ladies you spoke too sounded lovely. Seems it is not just about colour these days, people pick on anything to be nasty."

More words of encouragement came from @swoodexitbrexit who shared: "So sorry you had this experience, I'm originally from Huddersfield and yes Slough-it is correct. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip."

@Chris_CPH also chimed in expressing solidarity, saying: "You can sit next to me anytime mate x."