It was the bloody finger that divided an already split nation. Last year, Juli Briskman was fired from her job as a marketing executive after she flipped off President Donald Trump as he drove by in his motorcade. Her former company and government contracting firm, Akima fired her because she reportedly violated a code-of-conduct. However, Julie believes she was fired because her government contractor bosses didn’t want to be associated with opposition to Trump’s government.
Today, Julie announced via her Twitter that she would be suing her former employer and claiming her right to free speech.
Juli posted that she had teamed up with the nonpartisan, not-profit organisation Protect Democracy.
I criticized @realDonaldTrump, but I never thought I would lose my job b/c I live in the world’s greatest Democracy. I am fighting back because no American should have to choose between their pocketbooks & their principles @GellerLawyers @protctdemocracy https://t.co/Q3CWhP7KF7
— Juli Briskman 🌞 (@julibriskman) April 4, 2018
On their Twitter, Protect Democracy wrote,
“Today, we filed suit with @GellerLawyers on behalf of @julibriskman, an American who exercised her free speech right to criticise the President and was punished for it… Juli raised her middle finger at Trump and her employer, a government contractor, fired her for fear that her criticism of the current administration would lose them business. That is unlawful and un-American.”
According to Juli’s former firm’s social media policy, Juli had violated the below.
“Covered Social Media Activity that contains discriminatory, obscene malicious or threatening content, is knowingly false, create [sic] a hostile work environment, or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct will not be tolerated and will be subject to discipline up to an [sic] including termination of employment.”
Although, as many noted Julie wasn’t wearing a work uniform or any logo associated with her former company. She was also unrecognisable from the back and Juli didn’t post the picture on her social media either. It wasn’t until Julie told colleagues she was the cyclist did her bosses find out.
The public reacted in either one of two ways. Juli did a stupid thing and deserved to be fired. Juli wasn’t even in work uniform and or recognisable.
The photo is now Juli’s header image on Twitter.
What was more frustrating for Juli was when she previously discovered a public Facebook comment by a senior director at the company during a discussion of the Black Lives Matters movement. The director had said to another employee in the discussion, “You’re a fucking Libtard asshole.”
As reported by The Washington Post Juli informed senior management but all that followed was the director deleting the comment and “spit-shining his public profile.”
You can read the lawsuit HERE.
As you can expect, the “Libtard assholes” and the conservatives are arguing over Twitter about it all.
God Bless America.
