GitHub regrets firing Jewish employee who called Trump-incited mob ‘Nazis’

Yesterday, GitHub Inc. apologized for the dismissal of a Jewish employee who urged his colleagues to “stay safe” and avoid the “Nazis” on the day a crowd incited by President Trump stormed the US Capitol. GitHub said it “overturned the decision” and said it was trying to rehire the employee.

“Stay safe, Nazis, that is,” the employee, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, wrote in an internal Slack chat room on Jan.6. He was fired two days later after a “colleague quickly criticized the employee for using divisive rhetoric,” Business Insider reported last week.

“Didn’t realize that as a Jew it would be so polarizing to say that word,” wrote the former employee at a Slack group for Jewish employees shortly “before his corporate accounts were deactivated Business Insider wrote. The former employee “is Jewish and had relatives who died during the Holocaust,” the article said.

The former employee told Business Insider he sent the message in Slack because he “was afraid for the people who were there. [in DC]He also said that GitHub human resources cited unspecified ‘behavior patterns’ upon his termination, and that he was seeking further details on the reason for his termination.

About 200 employees signed an internal letter protesting the layoff, Business Insider wrote. GitHub employees have also “repeated ‘Nazi’ repeatedly in Slack about rioters on Capitol Hill, protesting what is perceived to be unfair treatment,” according to The Verge.

GitHub apologies

GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft, announced yesterday that it had “reversed the decision to separate from the employee and is in communication with his representative.” GitHub said the reversal came after hiring “an outside investigator to conduct an independent investigation.” This “investigation revealed significant errors in judgment and procedure,” and the company’s human resources manager “took personal responsibility and resigned from GitHub,” wrote Erica Brescia, COO of GitHub. (TechCrunch has identified this HR manager as Gia Colosi.)

“We wish to say publicly to the employee: we sincerely apologize,” Brescia wrote.

We asked GitHub today if they were able to recruit the laid off employee and / or come to an agreement with them, and we’ll update this article if we get a response.

GitHub also condemned the crowd, saying, “It was appalling last week to see a violent mob, including Nazis and white supremacists, attack the United States Capitol.” While GitHub has apologized for the employee’s termination, the company also said employees should be “respectful” and “professional” when discussing the topic and the like internally.

“Employees are free to voice their concerns about Nazis, anti-Semitism, white supremacy or any other form of discrimination or harassment in internal discussions,” GitHub said. “We expect all employees to be respectful, professional and follow GitHub’s policies on discrimination and harassment.”

The fired employee spoke with TechCrunch last week before GitHub announced its decision to reverse the layoff. The man “says he is currently seeking a lawyer to make sure his family is protected, as well as to determine if he can receive damages or some other form of reconciliation” and that he “is waiting for s ‘engage with the company until it is represented by a lawyer in lieu,’ TechCrunch wrote.

The dismissed employee said he was also threatened with dismissal in October when he complained about a lack of diversity in the leadership of GitHub. “I think this could be an opportunity for GitHub to really do a purge and say, ‘Do we want white supremacists in this business and how do we get black leaders into the general management?’ he told TechCrunch.