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.