Have I Got News For You comic says he was racially abused on way to a gig when train passenger told him to go back to your own country

Ignacio Lopez, a comedian described as ‘Spain’s best export’, has spoken out after suffering racial abuse while travelling to a show by train on Friday night.

In a social media post that has racked up more than five million views, Lopez described the ordeal that unfolded after he asked a passenger on a crowded train from Leeds whether the seat next to him was vacant - and was told: Go back to your own country.

‘Had a horrible experience on the way to a gig tonight,’ wrote Lopez, who is currently touring the country with his stand-up show Señor Self-Destruct. 

‘Complete opposite to the usual experience Ive had in Yorkshire and the north of England.

‘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 wasnt an old guy (Id say in his 30s, but I am notoriously bad at guessing ages; Ive caused upset with my estimations before).

The Spanish-Welsh comedian Ignacio Lopez, who says he was racially abused on a train from Leeds, is currently taking his his stand-up show Señor Self-Destruct around the country

Lopez detailed what he described as a horrible experience on a train from Leeds to the west Yorkshire town of Slaithwaite in a series of posts on social media platform X

Lopez, seen here alongside satirist Ian Hislop on Have I Got News for You, has been a familiar face on the British television comedy scene

Lopez says on his website that he has performed for the Wales football team and opened for James Dean Bradfield, lead singer of the Welsh alt-rock band Manic Street Preachers

‘I asked if it was cool if I sat there and he aggressively said: “Someones 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.”’

Lopez, who has appeared on TV shows including Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Comedy Central Live, said he attempted to make light of the situation.

‘I laughed and asked: “Why you being like that, man?” continued the comedian, who lives in Cardiff and is of Spanish and Welsh descent.

‘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.

‘Yeah?’ the passenger allegedly replied. ‘Then you should go back to your own country.’

Lopez said he was grateful for the support of some nearby women, who overheard the alleged exchange and offered to swap seats with him

Lopez, right, is seen alongside fellow performers Spring Day, left, and Tez Ilyas on the British stand-up comedy programme Live at the Apollo

 Lopez, who has since received a huge outpouring of support on social media, said he tried to play down the abuse before occupying himself with his phone.

‘I just laughed at him,’ wrote the comedian, who has headlined comedy clubs across Europe. ‘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 wont educate you.”

Lopez said a group of women sitting nearby offered to swap seats with him - an offer he declined, reasoning that ‘if hes xenophobic hes going to be misogynistic also’.

‘I replied: “No, Im comfortable.” I wasnt… I sat in silence for a while, with the guy eyeballing me.’

As an awkward silence filled the carriage, Lopez made small talk with the women, who asked where he had bought the leather jacket he was wearing. When he replied that he had purchased it in Fes, a city in northern Morocco, Lopez said he could feel the man next to him ‘bubbling with rage’.

‘I ignored him,’ wrote Lopez. ‘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!

Lopez said he just laughed at the alleged antagonist. Pointless to explain my background or get into anything. People around were visibly uncomfortable. Conversations hushed

Lopez says he told his antagonist he would not call the police because it would be a waste of their time. They wont educate you, he explained to the man

‘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, hed been drinking Spanish beers, and had left four empty cans behind. Doesnt want Spanish people in the country, but happy to drink the beer? What a plumb.’

Lopez, whose thread has received 21,000 likes, frequently jokes about his diverse ethnicity.

‘I’ve got Spanish, Welsh, Irish, Moroccan and German in my family,’ he said in an interview with the Guardian last year. ‘It’s like a political summit where we’re trying to figure out how to most effectively wind up the English.

‘I definitely developed my sense of humour to win people round when I was younger, but flipping back and forth between Spain and Wales growing up, never really fitting in, made me resilient.’