Foreigners shout at Indian passenger at Vienna airport: Social media post sparks debate on how Indians behave abroad

AN X post about an incident at Vienna Airport has gone viral. A user reported that an Indian traveller cut the baggage-drop line (jump the queue).

Foreign travellers reacted with shock. They asked him to go back to his place. He argued but did not move. One person finally lost patience. He shouted at him to leave the front.

“He kept arguing that this was where he was, until one guy finally lost his patience and shouted at him to go the f**k back. I was standing right there watching the whole thing,” the X user wrote.

The OP said he had watched everything happen. He called it embarrassing behaviour. He said such acts were responsible for creating stereotypes.

“This is exactly the kind of repeated behaviour that creates stereotypes about an entire country. No civic sense and respect for the people standing in line, and then the audacity to argue when called out,” the users posed.

“Indians who behave like this abroad are not just embarrassing themselves. They are actively contributing to the biases and stereotypes the rest of us then have to deal with. Absolutely horrible behaviour!” he concluded.

His post quickly crossed 1.5 lakh views. It also received thousands of likes and shares.

Social media reaction

The comments section soon filled with similar stories. One person shared an incident from a boarding queue. An old person jumped ahead there, too. When questioned, the person acted unbothered. He made it sound like a small issue.

“...when I confronted him that others were waiting too, he was like ‘no one is stopping you. Easy there!’. The old f**t made it sound as if I was the problematic one,” the user wrote.

Another commenter shared a story from Warsaw Airport. People there tried to piggyback in line. They pushed forward even after being stopped.

“They were wealthy and educated but behaved like they had achieved something through their street smarts,” the user added.

A similar story came from the Los Angeles airport. An Indian traveller reportedly skipped the entire queue. Locals immediately objected to his actions.

“He argued until one guy snapped and ordered him back in line. Same lack of civic sense,” the user wrote.

Not everyone agreed that this is only an Indian issue. One user pushed back strongly. He said he witnessed similar behaviour by foreigners, too.

This happened at Indian airports, he said. He argued that some foreigners also ignore rules.

“Not only do they ignore the guard’s instruction, but they also act as a privileged person and carry on as if it's their moral right to be first. So, don’t tell me it’s an Indian thing,” the user commented.