Can't you 'just say no'?
Yes, and so can the airport authorities. Meaning they escort you off the premises (or at least landside) and you don't get to fly from there.
Reminds me of an anecdote I had about a year ago. I was passenger on a commercial flight, got all my stuff out of my pockets, went through the metal detector and still the device did "beep". So the nice gentlemen came up to me and asked me "Can I search you sir, please"? He looked like a genuinely nice bloke in good spirits so just out of curiosity I asked "Well, what if I say no". His immediate response, delivered with a genuine smile: "Well, you don't have to fly today sir, as far as I'm concerned." So I spread my arms and told him to go ahead.
Let's face it. We might not like their rules, but it's their airport.