Summary
- Air Canada removed a pilot from service after he shared disturbing posts calling for violence, including anti-Israel comments and profane language.
- Passengers expressed concerns after screenshots of the pilot’s posts were shared online, prompting the airline to take action.
- Air Canada emphasized that the pilot’s views do not represent the airline’s views and firmly denounced violence in all forms. The Airline Pilots Association Canada also condemned any promotion of violence and hatred among its members.
The flag carrier of Canada has removed a pilot from service after he shared disturbing posts calling for violence. Air Canada took action in response to public backlash over
What happened?
The posts in question came from the account of First Officer Mostafa Ezzo. He is reportedly based in Montreal and flies the carrier’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Photos taken from his Instagram story show Ezzo wearing Palestinian colors over his Air Canada Uniform, profane comments, and concerning pictures.
The photos were shared on X (Twitter) and showed a man presumed to be Ezzo in a mask holding a sign that says “Israel Hitler is proud of you,” and denoting it as a terrorist state. Another showed him at what appears to be a march, holding a sign reading “Keep the world clean” with an illustration of a person dropping the Israeli flag into a trash can. A third post is a reposted image advertising Sunday’s pro-Palestine rally in Montreal, over which he added the caption, “F*** you Israel, burn in hell.”
Following the news breaking, his social media accounts were swiftly deleted.
What was the reaction?
Following the dispersal of the photos online, passengers were swift to raise concerns. Screenshots of the posts were shared by various media outlets and members of the general public, often with the official Air Canada handle tagged in the post.
The airline confirmed that the pilot had been taken out of service on Monday, November 9th. Speaking to the Toronto Sun, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick explained the company’s reasoning behind the measures and reaffirmed that Ezzo was not speaking on behalf of the airline:
“We did this because this individual’s opinions and publications on social media do not represent Air Canada’s views in any way.
“This person has never been authorized to speak publicly while identifying themselves as an Air Canada employee. We firmly denounce violence in all forms and take this matter very seriously.”
Similarly, the Airline Pilots Association Canada, which counts Air Canada’s pilots among its members, spoke out strongly against any promotion of violence and hatred among its members:
“ALPA Canada, including the Air Canada pilot group, is aware of the situation and is incredibly saddened by the tragedies in the Middle East. We condemn all violence and hatred, and any promotion thereof. It is our firm expectation that all of our members abide by this principle and our professional code of ethics.”
Air Canada is one of many airlines to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv. Mélanie Joly, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed earlier this week that the Canadian Armed forces are coordinating flights to repatriate Canadian Citizens and residents from Israel, including making arrangements for those who cannot get to Tel Aviv.
Source: Toronto Sun