A Vueling Airbus A320; illustrative. (photo credit: FlightReal - Flickr/Wikimedia Commons)
Spanish airline Vueling forcibly removed the director of a Jewish summer camp and approximately 50 children from a flight, according to footage shared on social media Wednesday.
According to Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli, the children, aged between 10 and 15, were singing songs in Hebrew on the plane.
Chikli alleged that the camp director was arrested in a "serious" antisemitic incident.
The children, all from France, are currently in Valencia, awaiting return to France, Chikli claimed.
Vueling says incident not tied to passenger's religion
Vueling responded to the incident on Thursday, saying that a group of teenagers mishandled emergency equipment and were confrontational during the mandatory safety demonstration, ignoring cabin crew safety instructions.
The airline noted that actions by on-board staff were "solely in response" to behavior that compromised passenger safety.
The crew requested intervention of the Guardia Civil, who decided to disembark the group to prioritize passenger safety.
According to the airline, at the terminal, the group continued to act aggressively towards authorities, leading to one of the group members being arrested.
Vueling denied that the crew's decision was related to the passenger's religion.
Vueling is a low-cost airline that operates short-haul flights to 113 destinations across Europe and North Africa. It is part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), which was formed through a merger between British Airways and Iberia. IAG acquired Vueling in 2012 and also owns the Irish carrier Aer Lingus.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
