Air Canada fired a pilot after he was caught releasing a series of anti-Semitic messages on social networks.
An Air Canada 787 co-pilot, Montreal-based Mostafa Ezzo, reportedly called Israel a“Terrorist state” and held up a sign saying “Israel, Hitler is proud of you.” He added : “Fuck you Israel, burn in hell.” In the images he posted – his account has disappeared – the pilot, although in uniform, also wore pro-Palestinian colors. The posts follow Hamas’ violent attack on Israel last weekend, which sparked widespread conflict and bloodshed in the region.
Air Canada was quick to respond to Mr. Ezzo’s messages, confirming that he had been banned from flying. “We are aware of the unacceptable messages posted by an Air Canada pilot”we can read in a press release published on X (formerly Twitter). “We take this matter very seriously and he was taken out of service on Monday October 9. We strongly denounce violence in all its forms. »
“We did this because this individual’s opinions and social media posts in no way represent the views of Air Canada”explains one of its spokespersons to the Toronto Star. “This person was never authorized to speak publicly identifying himself as an Air Canada employee. »
Until the horrific events of this past weekend, Air Canada operated non-stop flights to Tel Aviv departing from Toronto and Montreal. The carrier Star Alliance suspended its operations in Israel, citing government restrictions.
