Some 50 Jewish children and teenagers, along with their summer camp director, were removed from a Vueling Airlines flight in Valencia after singing Hebrew songs on board. The children, ages 10 to 15 and residents of France, were reportedly participating in traditional camp activities at the time. The airline has not provided a public explanation. Video footage later surfaced showing the group’s director being arrested.
According to a report by Enfoque Judío, the children sang Hebrew songs while boarding the aircraft and while waiting for takeoff. Although the crew initially asked them to stop, they soon called local police, who ordered the group off the plane.
The camp director, a 21-year-old woman, was arrested at the scene. Police allegedly confiscated her phone and later released her after she was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement concerning the incident.
Karine Lamy, the mother of one of the children, said flight attendants threatened her son after he was heard singing in Hebrew. “They told him, ‘If you continue, we’ll call the police,’” she said. Many of the children were reportedly wearing tzitzit and Star of David necklaces.
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After the group was removed, police allegedly instructed the children to place their phones on the ground to prevent them from filming the arrest. The director intervened, arguing that the order was illegal. She was then forcibly restrained, handcuffed and taken away while the children remained under the supervision of their counselors. Authorities told the group they would not be permitted to reboard the flight, citing “noise” as the reason.
The group is currently stranded at Valencia Airport and seeking alternative transportation back to France. Local reports say a community organization has provided food and hotel accommodations.
“The children are in shock,” said Lamy. “It feels like we’ve gone back to 1939. This is a blatant act of antisemitism against minors who did nothing wrong. Vueling didn’t even offer an alternative flight. They abandoned them. A 21-year-old woman was handcuffed because children were singing. We’ve returned to the darkest days of the war. And I’m not even talking about the emotional trauma this caused our kids.”
Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, shared video footage of the arrest on X, writing: “The woman arrested and beaten is the summer camp director. 50 Jewish children from France, ages 10 to 15, were singing Hebrew songs on board. The Spanish airline crew called Israel a terrorist state and had them removed. The group is still stuck in Valencia, trying to return to France. We’ve seen many antisemitic incidents recently—but this is among the worst.”