(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – The new head of the pilots’ union at United Airlines has been forced to resign after comments and jokes he posted online were considered offensive to gays, women, Jews, and other groups, according to a report.
Captain Neil Swindells’ posts on a private forum for pilots have led to his colleagues accusing him of homophobia, misogyny, racism, and antisemitism, CBS News reported, as cited by Newsmax.
Swindells was the master chair of the United Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association.
On December 19, he was elected to the post by the 19-member council. The association represents over 14,000 United Airlines pilots.
Numerous news outlets had covered his remarks, while some pilots had called for his resignation.
Swindells initially apologized while deciding to stay on the job but later announced his resignation in an emailed statement.
“There has been a significant negative response to things I posted on a pilot forum,” the master chair of the United Master Executive Council stated in his email to union members on Wednesday.
“While many of these things have been taken completely out of context and publicly weaponized against me, I cannot ignore their existence and the damaging effect it has had on many of my fellow pilots. For that, I am truly sorry and apologize unreservedly,” Swindells added.
Some of the comments and jokes that he posted online, which were deemed highly insulting to specific demographic groups, were revealed by the aviation blog Live and Let’s Fly. In some of them, he seemed to be mocking corporate diversity efforts.
“Continuing to get your gay man on today, I see. Brava! And if my Aunt had a p**is she’d by my Uncle!” Swindells wrote in one post.
“And I’m sure Emirates had Nothing To Do with the Emirates Male Captain being flanked by a United Female First Officer, either, right??? Every Single Optic was Designed with a nod to Emirates’ Dominance Of The Codeshare, while giving United their desired DEI money shot!!!” the pilot union leader wrote.
He referred to DEI, an acronym for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Codesharing is an aviation industry term for airlines helping to market each other’s flights.
According to CBS News, some of Swindells’ other comments in the pilot forum “were insulting different ethnic groups, such as gay people, Jewish people, and women.”
The head of the United Airlines pilots' union has resigned after being accused of antisemitism, racism, and homophobia for recent remarks made on a private forum for pilots, it was reported. https://t.co/UKZN3y0oDr
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 22, 2022
