France probes airline for anti-semitism after 50 Jewish campers removed from plane over Hebrew songs

Indian Express

28-07-2025

Fifty Jewish children and teens were removed from a Spanish flight bound for Paris this week, triggering accusations of antisemitism. French authorities say they are investigating whether the group was ejected because of their religion.
The passengers – 44 minors and 8 adults – were part of a summer camp group returning from Valencia to Paris on a Vueling Airlines flight. According to eyewitnesses and participants, the incident began when the children, aged 10 to 15, sang songs in Hebrew while boarding.
One 17-year-old, Samson, told AFP that 'one of my friends shouted a word in Hebrew because he was still a bit in holiday-camp mood,' prompting a warning from flight staff. 'We immediately stopped making noise,' he added.
Jewish media outlet i24 quoted Karine Lamy, a parent of one of the children, saying, 'the children did nothing wrong. They were simply singing in Hebrew. That was enough to turn them into targets.'
Despite that, the group was later removed from the flight. A 21-year-old camp counsellor was arrested, and video of him being handcuffed quickly circulated online.
🚨 NOW: 50 Jewish Children Thrown Off a Plane for Being Jewish
Spanish Airline @vueling Video of Violent Jewish Assault in Valencia
A Jewish counselor was violently arrested. For protecting children. Jewish children.
Fifty of them.
Aged 10 to 15.
On a summer camp trip.
Singing… pic.twitter.com/8K3MKowQIU
— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) July 23, 2025
The Shirion Collective, an antisemitism watchdog with over 70,000 followers on X, posted footage of the incident, stating, 'a Jewish counselor was violently arrested. For protecting children. Jewish children.' The group also alleged that crew members called Israel a 'terrorist state' and 'dumped' the children at the airport without parental supervision or protection.
Julie Jacob, a lawyer for the camp organiser Club Kineret, announced that a complaint would be filed for 'physical and psychological violence, as well as discrimination on the basis of religion.' Israel's Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, called it 'one of the most severe antisemitic incidents seen recently.'
Vueling Airlines has denied that religion played any role.
In a statement, the airline said the group was removed for 'highly disruptive behaviour,' including mishandling emergency equipment and interfering with the safety demonstration. The company said its decision was made 'solely to ensure the safety of all passengers.'
Spain's Civil Guard confirmed the group's removal but said the agents involved were not aware of the passengers' religious identity. It described the group as French nationals. A spokesperson added that one person had been arrested due to aggressive behaviour.
France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said Minister Jean-Noël Barrot personally contacted Vueling's CEO to express 'deep concern' and request a full investigation. The same request was made to Spain's ambassador in France. Vueling has reportedly promised to cooperate with French and Spanish authorities.
On Thursday, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain said Vueling must provide documentary evidence of what happened.
The incident also echoes past controversies involving Jewish passengers. In 2022, Lufthansa barred 128 Orthodox Jews from a connecting flight in Germany reportedly after some individuals on the first leg misbehaved. The US Transportation Department fined the airline $4 million for discrimination.
In 2019, American Airlines removed a Orthodox Jewish family from a domestic US flight after complaints about body odour — a claim the family denied.
Jewish advocacy groups have tied the Vueling incident to a broader rise in antisemitism across Europe. Earlier this month, Spain's Observatory Against Antisemitism documented a 321 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents compared to 2023, most of them linked to the Israel-Gaza war.