A diplomatic row has erupted after a group of Jewish teenagers were removed from a flight bound for France.
The group of 44 children and seven adults were taken off Vueling flight VY8166 from Valencia to Paris on July 23 while on their way back from a summer camp trip.
The airline said the passengers were removed following "highly disruptive behaviour" and a "very confrontational attitude" which put "at risk" the safety of the flight, leading the plane crew to "request the intervention" of Spanish authorities.
In response to the incident, Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente posted to social media to say the teenagers were "Israeli brats" but later deleted his comments, the BBC reports.
French ministers Aurore Bergé and Benjamin Haddad have now condemned Puente's statement for "equating French children who were Jewish with Israeli citizens, as if this in any way justified the treatment they were subjected to".
They added that they will "never accept the trivialisation of anti-Semitism".
Vueling has alleged the group "mishandled emergency equipment" and "actively disrupted" a safety demonstration by plane crew.
"Once at the terminal, the group's behaviour continued to be aggressive. Some individuals displayed a violent attitude towards the authorities, which even led to the arrest of one of the group's members, a statement by the airline added.
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|Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has since deleted the social media post
"We categorically deny any suggestion that our crew's decision related to the religion of the passengers involved."
Following the incident, videos circulated on social media of the moment the arrest took place
Bergé and Haddad have since spoken to the woman who they said had been signed off work for 15 days, according to the BBC.
"No act justifies the disembarkation and the excessive and brutal use of force by the Guardia Civil against the young woman," the ministers said.
The summer camp, Club Kineret, posted a statement to social media last week to say the removal of the children from the flight was "unjustified".
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|The flight was bound for Paris
"These children, supervised by seven adults, had just completed a cultural trip; they were seated in their assigned places, respectful of rules and staff. No incident, threat, or inappropriate behaviour was reported, the club said in a post to Instagram.
"On the contrary, several independent passengers present on the plane wrote statements confirming that the children did not pose any trouble or threat to the safety of the flight.
"In this context, the attitude of the crew and the brutality of the intervention by law enforcement, resulting in the unjustified disembarkation of these unaccompanied children, without explanation, constitutes an illegal action of exceptional gravity."