Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), Co-Chair of the House Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, said the $4 million fine levied against Lufthansa today for discriminating against Jewish passengers—including some from Smith’s congressional district—“sends a strong message that discrimination and antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society and will not be tolerated.”

The record fine comes in response to a May 2022 incident when 128 members of the Orthodox Jewish community were denied boarding on a connecting flight in Germany based on the actions of only some of the passengers, even though many did not know each other and were traveling separately.  

In the wake of the incident, Smith wrote a letter to Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carsten Spohr expressing his “utter disgust” for the way in which the travelers were treated and requested a meeting with the German airline’s top brass to address “several vexing questions.”

At Smith’s request, the Lufthansa CEO met with him and a constituent in Smith’s DC office to hear directly from a victim of the discrimination just two weeks after the antisemitic incident. Lufthansa conducted an investigation, changed policies and continued negotiations with many of the passengers.

“The rising tide of antisemitism worldwide cannot be overlooked,” said Smith. “Tragically, Jewish men, women and children continue to suffer bias, cruelty, hate and violence simply because they are Jewish.”

 “Silence is not an option—nor is inaction,” said Smith. “If our fight against this pernicious form of hatred is to succeed, we must be absolutely clear and bold in word, deed, policies and treatment.”