French authorities are trying to establish whether a group of young French citizens were removed from a plane bound for Paris from Spain this week because they are Jewish. The airline, Vueling, has denied the claims., reports RFI.
Several dozen French passengers on Wednesday were kicked off a flight leaving the Spanish city of Valencia for Paris, for what Spanish police and the airline Vueling described as unruly behaviour.
France's ministry for Europe and foreign affairs said in a statement on Saturday that the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, contacted the CEO of Vueling, Carolina Martinoli, to express his deep concern “about the removal of a group of young French Jews from one of the company’s flights".
It came after the lawyer for the group of teenagers, who were returning from a summer camp, said Thursday they were filing a complaint "for physical and psychological violence, as well as discrimination on the basis of religion".
Barrot also requested more information to “determine whether these individuals had been discriminated against on the basis of their religion".