Ezra Levant
Ezra Isaac Levant (born February 20, 1972) is a Canadian far-right media personality, political activist, writer, broadcaster, and former lawyer. Levant is the founder and former publisher of the conservative magazine, The Western Standard. He is also the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the far-right media website Rebel News. Levant has also worked as a columnist for Sun Media, and he hosted a daily program on the Sun News Network from the channel's inception in 2011 until its demise in 2015.
Ezra Levant | |
---|---|
Levant in 2008 | |
Born | Ezra Isaac Levant February 20, 1972 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Alma mater | |
Occupations |
|
Known for |
|
Notable work | Ethical Oil |
Political party |
|
Awards |
Levant rose to prominence in 2006 after publishing the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons in The Western Standard, which led to a protracted legal battle with the Alberta Human Rights Commission regarding hate speech legislation and freedom of speech. The complaint against Levant was ultimately withdrawn. In February 2015, Levant co-founded Rebel News with Brian Lilley; Lilley left Rebel News in 2017 citing lack of editorial standards. Under Levant, Rebel News has been described as a platform for the anti-Islamic ideology known as counter-jihad.
Levant self-identifies as a libertarian conservative; however, he has also been identified as belonging to the Canadian far right. He is a prominent supporter of the Canadian petroleum industry and fracking. Levant has been successfully sued for libel on multiple occasions, while apologies and retractions were issued by him or on his behalf on numerous other occasions.