Forty-four minors and eight adult French passengers were kicked off flight V8166 from Valencia to Paris on July 23 for what Spanish police and the airline described as unruly behavior, according to AP story.        

 

Spokesperson said the passengers were removed after the minors repeatedly tampered with the plane’s emergency equipment and interrupted the crew’s safety demonstration. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the plane captain ordered the group’s removal at Valencia’s Manises Airport after they repeatedly ignored crew instructions.

 

Two French ministers condemn 'excessive use of force' after Jewish youths were removed from a flight. The minister however, met with the CEO of the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling and the Spanish ambassador to France to determine whether the youngsters had been discriminated against on the basis of their religion.

 

According to eyewitness account, the group of students were removed from a flight for chanting anti-Palestinian slogans and it's a reminder that inciting hatred has real consequences. No one should be above accountability.

 

Whether or not the passengers were disruptive or not, if confronted and ordered off the plane, either comply or face the consequences. If illegally ordered off, comply and document everything possible and then sue the snot out of the airlines afterward.

 

If they were messing with or ignoring emergency procedures or equipment, then they needed to be removed for a just cause, no matter what nationality or religion they are. When any other individuals are removed from the flight due to a disruptive behavior, nobody cares to inquire what nationalities they are but when it comes to a disruptive behavior of Jewish individuals, the antisemitic card is immediately played. That is a typical behavior. 

 

This certainly have nothing to do with their religion; it's obviously a case of young ill-educated brats and their useless adult stewards. This has nothing to do with being Jewish, and more to do with being obnoxious teenagers!

 

Based on what the spokesperson said, the children were unruly, and the chaperones didn't exercise control. I don't think they should have been singing "Death to the Arabs" in the first place. I'm sure that noise wasn't appreciated by the rest of the passengers. Would the crew be aware of what language the song was in? I think all that matters is that they were not listening to the crew and that presented a danger. If the accompanying adults could not control them, then the right and safe thing to do was to remove them.

 

Either it is the religious or racial card played when they are in the wrong. The bleeding hearts are quick to condemn removal from a flight but stay silent on the starvation and other atrocities to Gaza children.

 

We have seen over and over how very Jewish Israeli citizens behave when abroad. Need I bring up the soccer incident in Amsterdam last November or the stealing of sleds in Switzerland or the harassing and threatening of local surfers in Sri Lanka and more? Is it possible that they were out of control and would have been deplaned no matter their religion?

 

Another eyewitness said, "The were drinking, harassing other passengers, and endangering the flight. Their religious orientation is no relevant." The eyewitness added, "Playing the victim is easy for some people." Vueling airline has denied that the incident was related to the passengers’ religion.

 

Way to overlook what those "kids" were doing. They were out of control and singing the infamous Israeli song "DEATH TO ARABS."

 

I still remember when the Israeli soccer hooligans went to Amsterdam to celebrate the genocide in Gaza and got their asses kicked instead. Still, it's hard not to notice the stark contrast: when children in Gaza are bombed or starved, the world often stays silent. Imagine if the pain they endure was felt even briefly by others, maybe then, justice and empathy would no longer be selective. 

 

Finally, the word “antisemitism” is starting to lose its impact in America and around the world. Not because the threat is gone — but because people are tired of hearing it and quite often it sounds like a broken record.

 

Mahmoud El-Youseph is a Palestinian freelancer and Ret. USAF veteran: For feedback write to: elyousseph6@yahoo.com