By: Fern Sidman

A group of approximately fifty Jewish adolescents, aged 13 to 15, found themselves at the center of a growing international controversy after they were forcibly removed from a Vueling Airlines flight in Valencia, Spain. The minors, accompanied by adult chaperones and visibly identifiable as Jewish, were returning from a summer camp in Calella when the incident unfolded. According to reports by i24News, the ejection—triggered by a child singing in Hebrew—has been described by families as an anti-Semitic act that left the children traumatized, abandoned, and without official recourse or adequate assistance.

Spain at its Worst – from Inquisition to Fascism to Modern Day Anti-Semitism.

French Jewish children returning from summer camp were removed from Spanish airline for Hebrew singing; director arrested. @elpais_espana @elmundoes @LaVanguardia @dmontanes @eldiariovasco… pic.twitter.com/kx8xdbLbTe

— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) July 24, 2025

According to the information provided in the i24 News report, the flight was scheduled to depart Valencia and return the children to their home communities. However, what began as a routine boarding escalated when, according to eyewitnesses and family members, a young camper began singing a Hebrew song while seated on the plane. That act, parents say, led to a swift and disproportionate response by Vueling flight staff, who threatened to involve the police. Despite the subsequent calming of the situation, officers from the Spanish national police arrived and ordered the removal of all minors and their adult supervisors from the aircraft.

i24News reported that Karine Lamy, the mother of one of the children involved, described the unfolding events as deeply disturbing. “My son was on the plane. A child sang a song in Hebrew, and the staff threatened to call the police,” Lamy said. “The children are shocked, abandoned at the airport.” According to Lamy, some of the minors were wearing tzitzit and other visible religious symbols at the time—adding to concerns that the group was targeted not for their behavior, but for their Jewish identity.

The director of the youth group, a 21-year-old chaperone, was reportedly handcuffed and violently detained by law enforcement after he protested the staff’s alleged attempts to delete videos from the children’s mobile phones. The phones had reportedly been seized in an effort to remove any record of the incident aboard the aircraft. The report at i24News noted that the director was thrown to the ground in front of the teens, many of whom were left in tears and confusion as they were escorted off the plane.

What followed has drawn sharp condemnation from Jewish advocacy groups and community leaders. The children, many of them traveling internationally without their parents, were left stranded at Valencia airport without food, shelter, or guidance. While some were eventually able to board other flights home, a significant number remained in Spain overnight, cared for by a local Jewish association.

As reported by i24News, no formal statement has been issued by either Vueling Airlines or the Spanish police. The airline has offered only a vague explanation, citing “noise” as the cause for removal—though no specific complaints of dangerous or disruptive behavior were disclosed. Families and supporters have since dismissed the explanation as insufficient, accusing the airline of scapegoating the children and invoking security protocols under pretext.

The incident has struck a particularly sensitive nerve among European Jewish communities, coming at a time of heightened concern over rising antisemitic incidents. According to CRIF, France’s leading Jewish umbrella organization, over 1,570 antisemitic acts were recorded in 2024 alone—a significant increase that reflects broader tensions across the continent. In this context, the Vueling episode is not seen as an isolated misstep but rather as a symptom of a larger and more alarming trend, as was indicated in the i24News report.

“This is a scandal, pure and simple,” Lamy stated in remarks echoed by multiple parents now considering legal action. “What happened to our children is unacceptable. To see them treated like criminals for singing in their own language—while wearing tzitzit, no less—brings back memories we swore would never be repeated. We feel like we’re back in 1939.”

The comparison to World War II-era persecution has gained traction in the French media, and Jewish rights organizations across Europe have echoed these sentiments. The central grievance lies not only in the physical removal of the group but in the silence that has followed. The i24News report confirmed that neither Vueling nor local Spanish authorities have responded publicly to requests for clarification, further aggravating tensions and leaving families with unanswered questions about what exactly transpired on the tarmac in Valencia.

Beyond the emotional toll, the legal ramifications of the incident could be significant. Lawyers representing the families are reportedly exploring options for civil litigation against the airline, citing racial and religious discrimination, emotional distress, and failure to safeguard minor passengers. As the i24News report noted, should legal proceedings go forward, the case could set a precedent for how European airlines and law enforcement treat religious minorities, especially when minors are involved.

Meanwhile, Jewish leaders have called for an immediate investigation into the conduct of both Vueling staff and the officers involved in the removal. Some have suggested that Spain’s national ombudsman be tasked with reviewing the procedures and protocols invoked during the incident. “We are demanding transparency and accountability,” said one French Jewish leader in a statement published by i24News. “This cannot happen again—not to our children, and not to anyone.”

As the children begin to return home and recover from their ordeal, their experience has become a rallying cry for broader vigilance. Parents, educators, and advocates are calling for stricter oversight of airline protocols involving minors and religious groups, as well as renewed efforts to combat antisemitism across European institutions.

For now, however, what remains is a disturbing image: young Jewish children, handcuffed chaperones, confiscated phones, and an airport lounge transformed into a temporary shelter. According to the report at i24News, these images have ignited a sense of urgency among Jewish communities—an insistence that being visibly Jewish should never again place anyone at risk of public humiliation or physical removal from a European airline.

The full details of the incident remain shrouded in ambiguity, with investigations yet to be launched and corporate accountability still elusive. Yet for the families involved, the trauma is immediate and undeniable. As one parent told i24News, “This was not just about a flight. It was about being made to feel unwelcome—unwanted—for who we are. That should never happen, not in 2025.”