Over social media images, Air Canada fires an anti-Israel pilot

One day after shocking anti-Israel selfies featuring a pilot from Montreal wearing a Palestine scarf with his flying uniform went viral, Air Canada confirmed his dismissal.

After images of Captain Mostafa Ezzo surfaced on October 10, Air Canada announced on Twitter that it was aware of his posts and that the day before, he had been relieved of his flying duties.

On October 11th, Air Canada made a comeback on Twitter and announced Ezzo’s termination in both English and French.

The airline stated, “We can confirm the in-question pilot no longer works for Air Canada, following the process initiated on Monday.”

There were a variety of reactions to Air Canada’s Twitter message, some of which included fury. User Sara’s Arabic-language remark was translated by Google to read, “You claim that you have freedom of opinion and expression, yet you are lying.

Because you lack the right to free speech, you punish and expel everyone who holds a different perspective. The pilot will work for a business that is superior to yours. We firmly believe it, and we applaud his support for the defenseless in his humanitarian stance. Liberate Palestine.

Is that not violence? “Nour Talhaoui wrote in Arabic on Twitter. Does freedom of expression simply apply to those who criticize Islam and Muslims, or does he have the right to express himself and support what he wants?” Similar to Sara, Talhaoui included the hashtag #FreePalastine [sic] and multiple emojis of the Palestinian flag in his message.

The majority of people who commented on Air Canada’s article, however, were happy to hear the news, and some asked that Ezzo be put on a no-fly list. Arieh Chaikin commented, “Thank you for acting in the proper manner. “Those who glorify terrorism have no place in this world.”
User Frosty Knight tweeted, “That’s a great thing.”

“Anyone who backs a terrorist organization right here in Canada shouldn’t be employed by an airline. You made the proper decision. The post by user Janice S-K, which may have been written in jest but revealed a troubling reality, may have been the most disturbing of all among the comments to Air Canada’s tweet. “Psst! Please inform us of the airline that employs him,” Janice S-K wrote. “We’ve heard there’s a pilot shortage.”