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More than 50 French Jewish teenagers were kicked off a Vueling Airlines flight in Valencia, Spain, on Wednesday after singing in Hebrew — a move that has drawn sharp accusations of antisemitic discrimination.
According to testimonies and footage shared online, the group of 13-15 year-olds, participants in the Kineret Club summer program run by the Matana Association, were ordered to disembark the Paris-bound flight after allegedly being subjected to anti-Israel rhetoric by airline staff.
Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli called it “one of the most severe antisemitic incidents seen recently.”
A widely-circulated video shows a 21-year-old youth leader lying face down as Spanish police violently forced her to the ground and handcuffed her. Chikli identified the woman as a staff member of the Kineret Club and condemned both Vueling Airlines and the local authorities for their handling of the situation.
🇪🇸 A shocking scene in Spain: On July 23, police stormed a Vueling flight from Valencia to France and dragged Jewish teens off the plane for singing in Hebrew. Their 21-year-old youth leader was slammed to the floor and handcuffed. The children were left abandoned in the airport. pic.twitter.com/1PrrtUdcWg
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) July 24, 2025
According to i24 News, the teens were returning to France from a summer camp in Sant Carles de la Ràpita, a coastal town between Valencia and Barcelona. Witnesses reported that the youths sang Hebrew songs on the aircraft before being instructed to stop by flight attendants, who allegedly threatened to call the police. Although the singing ceased, officers boarded the plane, arrested the group leader, and forced all 52 teens to disembark.
Some of the students were reportedly left stranded at Valencia Airport for hours, awaiting alternative travel arrangements.
Karine Lamy, a parent of one of the teens, described the ordeal as senseless and deeply distressing. “The children did nothing wrong,” she told i24. “They were simply singing in Hebrew. That was enough to turn them into targets.”
Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), commented: “This is a shocking act of antisemitic discrimination. It is absurd that we’ve reached a point where singing in Hebrew is considered grounds for removing minors from a flight using violence and unreasonable force, accompanied by excessive hostility — simply because they are Jews and Israelis.“
“This marks another escalation in the unprecedented wave of antisemitic incidents sweeping across Europe since October 7, reflected in a surge of hundreds of percent in antisemitic and hate-related events on the continent,” Roytman added. “We call on the Spanish authorities to treat this serious incident with the gravity it deserves and to find an immediate alternative solution for the affected group. It is time for governments and public institutions across Europe to recognize the emergency we are facing and take urgent action to protect Jewish communities, who have lost their sense of personal security and now fear that the situation will deteriorate even further.”
French MP Caroline Yadan, who represents French citizens living in Israel and other Mediterranean countries, demanded legal consequences, stating that if the reports of the incident were accurate, Vueling “must be held accountable in court” for what she described as “very serious actions.”
Spanish-Jewish outlet Enfoque Judío reported that the instructor’s arrest may have resulted from her refusal to comply with police demands that the children hand over their phones — raising further concerns about excessive force.
Earlier this month, the Observatory Against Antisemitism in Spain published its 2024 report documenting 193 antisemitic incidents — an unprecedented 321% increase from 2023 and a 567% rise over 2022. The majority of these incidents were directly tied to incitement and hostility linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Vueling Airlines denied any wrongdoing, blaming the teens for “putting at risk the safe conduct of the flight” with “disruptive behavior.”
Vueling statement regarding the passengers disembarked for disruptive behaviour on flight VY8166 pic.twitter.com/WQ2255Ujqy
— Vueling Airlines (@vueling) July 24, 2025
As antisemitic rhetoric and aggression continue to escalate, the forced removal of children from a plane for expressing their Jewish identity in song has become emblematic of a deeper crisis. Officials are urging Spanish and European authorities alike to respond swiftly and decisively to ensure Jewish communities are protected and safe in public spaces.
