A photo of Juli Briskman giving the middle finger to the president went viral. Her employer was not pleased.

By Jennifer Bendery

WASHINGTON ― You may have seen this photo of President Donald Trump’s motorcade winding down a wooded road last week as a woman on a bicycle pedaled by ― giving the middle finger to Trump.
The picture, snapped by a White House photographer traveling with the president as he left his golf course in Sterling, Va., went viral almost immediately. News outlets picked up the story when it appeared in a White House pool report. Late-night talk show hosts told jokes about the encounter and people on social media began hailing the unidentified woman as a “she-ro,” using the hashtag #Her2020.

The woman’s name is Juli Briskman. Her employer, government contractor Akima LLC, wasn’t so happy about the photo. They fired her over it.

In a Saturday interview with HuffPost, Briskman, a 50-year-old mother of two, said she was stunned that someone had taken a picture of her giving Trump the middle finger. 

As the photo circulated online, Briskman decided to tell Akima’s HR department what was happening when she went to work on Monday. By Tuesday, her bosses called her into a meeting and said she had violated the company’s social media policy by using the photo as her profile picture on Twitter and Facebook.

“They said, ‘We’re separating from you,‘” said Briskman. “Basically, you cannot have ‘lewd’ or ‘obscene’ things in your social media. So they were calling flipping him off ‘obscene.’”

Briskman, who worked in marketing and communications at Akima for just over six months, said she emphasized to the executives that she wasn’t on the job when the incident happened and that her social media pages don’t mention her employer. They told her that because Akima was a government contractor, the photo could hurt their business, she said.

Virginia is an employment-at-will state, meaning employers can fire people anytime and for any reason. But Briskman said what’s been particularly infuriating is that a male colleague kept his job after recently posting lewd comments on his Facebook page that featured Akima LLC as his cover photo. She said this colleague was reprimanded for calling someone “a fucking Libtard asshole” on Facebook, but was allowed to delete the post and keep his job.

“How is that any less ‘obscene’ than me flipping off the president?” she asked. “How is that fair?”

Akima did not respond to requests for comment via email and phone.

Asked what she was thinking when she saw Trump’s motorcade roll up next to her, Briskman said it was a gut reaction to flip him off.

“He was passing by and my blood just started to boil,” she said. “I’m thinking, DACA recipients are getting kicked out. He pulled ads for open enrollment in Obamacare. Only one-third of Puerto Rico has power. I’m thinking, he’s at the damn golf course again.”

“I flipped off the motorcade a number of times,” she added.

Briskman, a Democrat, said she plans to look for a new job with an advocacy group that she believes in, like Planned Parenthood or PETA.

Despite getting fired, she said she has no regrets about the attention her public show of displeasure with Trump received. In fact, she said she’s happy to be an image of protest that resonates with many Americans.

“In some ways, I’m doing better than ever,” she said. “I’m angry about where our country is right now. I am appalled. This was an opportunity for me to say something.”

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59fe0ab4e4b0c9652fffa484/amp?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Dats 4 being foolish.

Try am for naija na DSS go pick u up put you for cell till God knows when that is if them no flog u commot for road self. I remember for naija the road is usually blocked for an hour before presido passes

She's got guts so much of it. Ohh well, why am I not surprised? its a true good free country.

God bless.....?

Donald Trump is a dictator. People insult Buhari everyday yet no one is loosing their jobs nor getting arrested. Buhari is truly a reformed democrat. God bless Buhari

That's terrible though.
Well her employers are playing to the gallery.
Knowing where their bread is buttered.

She should sue the damn company.


I love her courage. Very unlike Nigerians who only know how to make noise online but will wave at Buhari's motorcade

Good for the bitch...Even with democracy, that's too disrespectful

Trump right now...on twitter.

I love that. Women do a lot of rubbish just to trend, if u punish dem dey ll want to play the victim card. Just like d unilag gal that was twerking on a statue

E no concern me

Anyway..

You want to write exam today
So u spent the whole of
yesterday
writing out the expo on a
piece of paper.
U nicely slipped it into your
pocket.
This morning you're currently in
the exam
hall..
so you reached for your expo in
your
pocket..then this is what you saw
1061 - over 1.5
3241 - 1st half win
3242 - both team score
621 - win or draw
1242 - both team score
2347- (0:2)
1234- H &o/2.5
4357- ..1x & half time NG
1733- (over 2.5)
4512- NG
you wore the wrong trouser.
Well just know that your village people are at work again.

Don't

Hisses. I really don't understand how people tend to do stupid things and still intend to get away with them, and be given a pat on the back for acting foolishly.

If na Naija she must leave the road if not the kind koboko those DSS go give her will reset her memory

Flipping off

See the woman"s middle finger.Is that flipping off?
God help you bloggers for 'flipping " us off

They shld ask anambra peeps how many people our VP police escort killed when something similar happened during APC campaign

#zoo

Lol...

FOR NAIJA U FOR HEAR WEEEEE

See the panache and swagger displayed. Now that's a BOSSLADY , Not Nigerian slay queens tagging themselves bosslady upandan!

Op abeg help me find tochivitus
He just escape from the zoo and the hobo gat no brain

Serves her well... They should have even banished her

She go get new job jare. Ferk trump

Thank u Trump

Is she related to NwaAmaikpe

No matter what, a president deserves respect. Giving your president the middle finger is morally wrong

...With due respect she deserved that

The company no serious

I love this woman guts