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A Jewish passenger flying from Buenos Aires to Madrid on Iberia Airlines on Monday was shocked to discover the phrase “Free Palestine” handwritten on the packaging of his kosher meal, a targeted political message scrawled across a religious food order.
The incident, which occurred on flight IB102, was reported by Salvador Auday, who also noted that several other unopened kosher meals bore the initials “FP,” written in the same pen. The flight’s final destination was reportedly Israel.
Auday promptly alerted the flight crew. “I reported the incident to the head flight attendant, who took down the complaint, took photos, etc. They tried to apologize in every possible way,” he told Vis á Vis, an Argentinian Jewish newspaper.
While Auday believes the message did not come from the crew, he raised concerns that it may have been written by an employee of the airline’s food supplier. “Apparently, it wasn’t any of the crew members, so if it came from outside, I’d imagine that Iberia will conduct an internal investigation of its suppliers and procedures,” he said. “That’s precisely why I reported it, so that it doesn’t get forgotten.”
The incident was also reported to DAIA (Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas), the central representative organization of Argentina’s Jewish community. In a public statement, DAIA condemned the labeling as a discriminatory act and said it had contacted Iberia’s leadership to demand answers and swift corrective measures.
“We condemn this discriminatory act and have contacted the airline’s authorities to demand explanations and immediate action,” DAIA stated.
Grave acto de antisemitismo en vuelo de @Iberia denunciado en la DAIA
En el vuelo IB0102 Buenos Aires–Madrid, el pasajero Salvador Auday recibió su bandeja de comida kosher con la leyenda “Free Palestine”. Otros pasajeros judíos también recibieron bandejas con las iniciales… pic.twitter.com/2srkgOGIQU
— DAIA (@DAIAArgentina) August 4, 2025
Since the October 7th Hamas-led massacre in Israel, the phrase “Free Palestine” has increasingly been weaponized as a threatening rallying cry against Jewish communities.
As of publication, neither Iberia Airlines nor its parent company, International Airlines Group, has issued a public statement addressing the incident. It also remains unclear whether the airline has launched an investigation into its catering processes or staff conduct.
This incident comes on the heels of another disturbing episode in Spain’s aviation sector when 52 French Jewish teens were forcibly removed from a Vueling Airlines flight in Valencia after singing in Hebrew. A widely-circulated video showed their 21-year-old youth leader lying face down being arrested by Spanish police, who violently forced her to the ground and handcuffed her.
Together, the two incidents raise urgent questions about the treatment of Jewish passengers by Spanish airlines and the broader climate of hostility many Jewish travelers are now facing across Europe.
