Anti-Semitic incident in Spain: Jewish Children Removed from Plane for Singing in Hebrew

A serious anti-Semitic incident has rocked Spain, after 50 French Jewish children and teenagers, aged 10 to 15, were forcibly removed from a Vueling Airlines flight in Valencia for singing traditional Jewish songs in Hebrew. The group, accompanied by their summer camp staff, was en route back to France following a summer program.

According to reports from Enfoque Judío, the group began singing Hebrew songs during boarding and pre-takeoff. The crew reportedly demanded that they stop singing, and when the children did not immediately comply, the Spanish police were called to the aircraft.

Summer Camp Leader Arrested and Handcuffed

In a dramatic escalation, the 21-year-old group leader was pinned to the ground and handcuffed by local officers after intervening on behalf of the children, whose cell phones were confiscated to prevent filming of the arrest. She was detained, had her phone seized, and was later released after being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to eyewitnesses.

The children, visibly shaken and traumatized, were left stranded at Valencia airport, where they are still awaiting alternative travel arrangements. Local reports indicate that a nearby association is providing the group with temporary accommodation and meals.

 Officials Condemn Airline and Police Conduct

Karin Lamy, the mother of one of the children, told i24NEWS that a flight attendant threatened her son for singing in Hebrew:

“They told him, ‘If you continue, we’ll call the police.’ Many of the children were wearing tzitzit and Stars of David.”

Lamy condemned the incident as “blatant anti-Semitism”, adding,

“This feels like the period between 1939 and 1945. A 21-year-old woman was handcuffed because children were singing. We’ve returned to the darkest times of World War II.”

She also criticized Vueling Airlines for failing to offer any alternative transportation or assistance, saying the company “abandoned” the children.

Vueling Yet to Provide Explanation

The Spanish airline has not yet issued a formal explanation for removing the group. The only justification cited was that the children were making “too much noise” by singing. A photo circulating online purporting to show the pilot with a Palestinian flag in the cockpit has added further controversy, though it is unclear whether the image is from the same flight.

Israeli Officials and Jewish Organizations Respond

Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli shared a video of the camp leader's arrest on X (formerly Twitter), calling the incident one of the “most serious recent anti-Semitic events.”

“The Spanish airline crew said Israel is a terrorist state and forced the children off the plane,” Chikli wrote. “They are now in Valencia, waiting to return to France.”

Sacha Reutman, CEO of the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism, also strongly condemned the incident:

“This is shocking discrimination against Jewish minors. The fact that singing in Hebrew is grounds for removal from a flight — with violence and hostility — is outrageous. This is part of a disturbing escalation in anti-Semitic incidents across Europe since October 7.”

Reutman urged the Spanish authorities to intervene immediately, calling on European governments to recognize the deteriorating safety of Jewish communities and take urgent action to protect them.