Viewers in Minneapolis have rallied in
support of gay weatherman Sven Sundgaard after he was fired.
Sundgaard, 39, was a popular
personality on Minneapolis NBC affiliate KARE 11.
He was terminated after he complained
about the surge of protests against the coronavirus lockdowns.
In a since-deleted Facebook post,
Sundgaard described the protesters as “white nationalist Nazi
sympathizer gun fetishist miscreants.”
In response, a far-right group called
on Sundgaard to step down. On May 1, KARE 11 announced that Sundgaard
had been fired, saying that he had violated the station's “news
ethics and other policies.”
In a Facebook post, Sundgaard thanked
viewers for their support.
“Hello everyone, I see you, I hear
you, I love you all! I first want to thank those who have supported
and followed me throughout my time at KARE 11,” he
wrote. “And, I am especially grateful to those who have sent
supportive and kind messages over the last several days since the
station so publicly announced that it had parted ways with me – and
then published its alleged reasons for doing so. Your overwhelming
support has been incredible. Thanks to those that have been sharing
advice and information with me. Please keep all of this coming – it
really does help me get through the days in this strange and
difficult time.”
More than 10,000 people either liked,
loved, or cared the post. The post also generated nearly 2,000
overwhelmingly positive comments.