Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has previously promoted and encouraged neo-Nazis. Under his ownership, Twitter (X) has seen a massive escalation in the spread of racist lies. At the inauguration of president Donald Trump, Musk made a gesture physically identical to a classic "sieg heil" Nazi salute of the kind still used by contemporary fascists. Conservatives defended Musk, insisting that he is just awkward, but neo-Nazis themselves seemed to have no doubt as to what Musk was doing. "It wasn't even subtle, like a wave," commented white supremacist Nick Fuentes. "That was straight-up, like, Sieg Heil, loving Hitler energy." 

Sam Kuffel, a meteorologist at CBS's WDJT-TV (Channel 58) in Milwaukee, criticized Musk's gestures on Instagram, and was quickly fired by her employer. Kuffel reacted as any American who remembers the horrors of Nazism would and should, writing: “You fuck with this and this man, I don’t fuck with you. Full stop.” After criticism from a conservative radio host, she was dropped by CBS, who said she is "no longer employed," and "a search for a replacement is underway." 

Firing Sam Kuffel was cruel and unfair. She reacted to Musk's gesture the way any person of ordinary moral decency would react upon seeing a Nazi salute. Even if you believe she misinterpreted Musk's gesture, we should hope to live in a society where people are disturbed when they see fascist symbols. And if neo-Nazis like Nick Fuentes are saying Musk made a clear "sieg heil," it is very clear that Kuffel's interpretation was a reasonable one. 

Firing Kuffel intimidates Americans from speaking their mind when they see signs of creeping fascism. If people fear that they will lose their jobs over social media posts, they will be silent even when they feel morally compelled to speak. Her case is important not just because it is an injustice to her, but because it is dangerous for employers to punish employees for reacting to signs of Nazism with outrage. As a rule, employers should not punish employees for ordinary political speech off the clock, and free speech is a vital principle of a healthy society. Kuffel's firing is an outrageous infringement on that principle. The public agrees that her firing was an outrage; a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel poll found that nearly 90% of readers said the news station made the wrong decision in firing her. 

We demand that CBS Channel 58 reinstate Kuffel immediately and give her an apology and back pay.