French government ministers and her attorney said Wednesday that a PARISA summer camp counselor had accused Spanish law enforcement officials of using physical force against her when she was being removed from a plane that was leaving Spain for Paris.
After French authorities contacted the CEO of the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling and the Spanish ambassador to France last week to inquire about whether the children had experienced religious discrimination, Ministers Aurore Berg and Benjamin Haddad met with the counselor on Tuesday.
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On July 23, four children and eight adults from France were removed from flight V8166 from Valencia to Paris due to what the airline and Spanish authorities characterized as disruptive conduct.
The counselor, who requested anonymity and was portrayed as surprised, denied that allegation, according to the ministers. She allegedly said that the crew was aggressive from the start, that a child sang for a short while but stopped when prompted, and that no behavior justified the group’s expulsion or the Civil Guard’s reaction.
The ministers said in a statement that no action justified the disembarkation or the excessive and brutal use of force by the Civil Guard against the young woman, who had just been informed that she would be completely incapacitated to work for 15 days. They also added that other passengers on board had confirmed her testimony.
Muriel Ouaknine Melki, the counselor’s attorney, told The Associated Press that she was forcibly shackled and kept in an arm lock, leaving her with injuries on her arms, legs, and body. According to Ouaknine Melki, her team is gathering proof before filing a case.
The Associated Press requested direct testimonials from those who were taken from the plane, but the Club Kineret group, which ran the summer camp, did not immediately respond.
After the children repeatedly messed with the plane’s emergency equipment and disrupted the crew’s safety demonstration, a Vueling representative claimed the passengers were taken off. According to a Civil Guard spokeswoman, after the group disregarded crew orders several times, the plane’s captain ordered their removal from Valencia’s Manises Airport.
Berg and Haddad also took exception at a statement made by the Spanish Minister of Transportation that compared French Jewish youngsters to Israeli citizens, as if that in some way explained their treatment. Scar Puente, the minister of transportation for Spain, removed a tweet dated July 26 that referred to the children as Israeli brats.
The ministers urge Vueling and the Spanish government to thoroughly look into and explain the events at a time when antisemitic incidents have increased throughout Europe since Hamas’ terrorist assault in Israel on October 7, 2023. Haddad and Berg said. We will never tolerate antisemitism becoming more commonplace. We will never back down and will always support our fellow citizens who are the targets of antisemitic hatred.”
Vueling has refuted claims that the passengers’ religion had anything to do with the incident.
The students were Jewish, according to certain Israeli news sites, and their expulsion was due to religious reasons. An Israeli official echoed this assertion on the internet. The agents engaged were unaware of the group’s religious membership, according to a Civil Guard spokesperson.
