The one tweet that snapped a dozen government bureaucrats to attention
A simple observation at airport security triggered a remarkable response from government officials.
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Article by Rebel News staff
There’s a reason uniforms exist, particularly for police, soldiers and anyone exercising state authority. A uniform is meant to represent the government, not the individual wearing it. When someone in a position of power detains you, searches your belongings or restricts your movement, it should be clear that the authority comes from the state itself, not from a personal ideology or political belief.
That’s why we don’t expect to see overt political or religious symbols displayed by those exercising official power. The uniform is supposed to be neutral, one standard form that removes doubt about motive or bias.
That’s the backdrop to a tweet Ezra sent after passing through airport security at Calgary International Airport. The guard searching his bag had a Palestinian flag sticker attached to his security badge. Ezra's immediate question was simple: why is a security officer in a politically sensitive role advertising a political cause while screening passengers?
Rather than confront the guard and risk retaliation, as airport security officers have enormous discretionary power when your flight is minutes from departure, Ezra simply posted the observation online.
Just went through @catsa_gc airport security at @FlyYYC. The foreign migrant who searched my bag had a Palestine sticker on his security badge.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) December 18, 2025
* why are foreigners in charge of our security?
* every other worker and manager obviously has seen his flag. Is there a Palestine cell…
The reaction inside government circles was immediate.
Access-to-information documents later revealed that federal managers sprang into action almost instantly. Emails show senior staff demanding urgent answers within minutes of the tweet appearing. Managers ordered staff to identify the employee, investigate whether the badge violated uniform policy and deal with the issue quickly.
Within hours, they located the guard and had him remove the sticker.
But here’s the revealing part: that was essentially the end of it.
There was no indication of disciplinary action or deeper concern about why a politically charged symbol was being displayed in the first place. The main priority seemed to be making sure the symbol wasn’t publicly visible anymore.
In other words, the embarrassment of the situation appeared to matter more than the situation itself.
And it raises an obvious question: if a controversial political badge could be worn openly at a major international airport, how many colleagues had already seen it and said nothing?
After the attacks of September 11, the public was encouraged to follow a simple principle: “If you see something, say something.”
But in modern Canada, that advice often comes with a warning. Speaking up about things that look wrong can quickly lead to accusations of prejudice or bigotry.
COMMENTS
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Karl Holba commented 2026-03-06 12:51:18 -0500@Anthony Salotti – a friend of mine who is Somali (immigrated here in the ’90s) said just that – “There are two million of them and they HATE you. Get guns, protect your family.” Right out of his mouth. Muslim values are not Canadian values Mr. Carney. -
Gary Schoutsen commented 2026-03-06 09:55:04 -0500China should demand that Canada build a pipeline ASAP. Maybe we’d actually get one.
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Dominick Zimmerman commented 2026-03-06 08:58:22 -0500Thanks for my daily news Ezra…….you’ll be the NEW national news one day. Mark my words!
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Dominick Zimmerman commented 2026-03-06 08:50:55 -0500I have to share this with my American relatives.
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Anthony Salotti commented 2026-03-06 06:43:12 -0500There’s probably a 5th column of muslim terrorist’s in Canada waiting to pounce on us .
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Lance Humphries commented 2026-03-06 00:20:01 -0500The UN and WEF have done an Agreement of Co-operation. https://weforum.ent.box.com/s/rdlgipawkjxi2vdaidw8npbtyach2qbt
They’ve also done a Global Redesign Initiative. Reading summaries – it’s pure Fascism!! (The convergence of gov and business to the detriment of the citizenry.)
Link to the pdf is half way down; https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/how-united-nations-quietly-being-turned-public-private-partnership/ -
Des Zacharias commented 2026-03-05 21:20:56 -0500Who in their right mind thinks ANY foreign born person should be in charge of ANYTHING security related
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-03-05 21:02:20 -0500How true, Ezra, that the panic about the Palestinian pin was for optics only. They couldn’t care less at the Calgary airport, or so it seems, that they have a jihadist in their security department.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-03-05 20:48:31 -0500As T. E. Lawrence (as portrayed by Peter O’Toole in the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”) says in the early part of the film, big things have small beginnings.
