More than 70 State Department employees are urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to fire an employee who has a history of antisemitic blog posts.
Foreign Policy reported that the letter, dated July 28, identified the employee as Foreign Service Officer Fritz Berggren, who has a personal blog called “bloodandfaith.com” that came to light in a February Politico article. The letter highlighted an October 2020 post on the site in which Berggren stated: “The world gasps in horror with each new ‘endangered’ sub-species, but cheers the elimination of White culture from whole regions of the earth. This will not stop until White people stop it—we have been handmaidens to our own demise.’” Another October post titled “Jews are Not God’s Chosen People. Judeo-Christian is anti-Christ” reads in part: “Jesus Christ came to save the whole world from the Jews—the founders of the original Anti-Christ religion, they who are the seed of the Serpent, that brood of vipers.”
Additionally, the letter argued that Berggren signed one of his posts as “Fritz Berggren, PhD Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State,” which they argued violates department policy against invoking their department credentials when expressing personal viewpoints.
“Not only is his propagation of antisemitic ideas highly disturbing and offensive to Jewish and non-Jewish employees alike, but as Jewish employees, we feel his presence at the Department is threatening,” the letter stated, later alleging that Berggren is “openly inciting his readers to take action based on his toxic beliefs. The Department should not wait for Berggren to target Jewish employees in the workplace, potentially with violence, before removing him.”
The letter was sent a couple days after a swastika was found carved into an elevator wall at the State Department. Both Blinken and President Joe Biden condemned it at the time.
“While there is no evidence that Berggren is behind the swastika carved into the Department elevator, his continued employment with seemingly no consequences sends a message of impunity that has undoubtedly contributed to the atmosphere in which someone would dare to do such a thing,” the letter stated.
According to Foreign Policy, Blinken responded to the employees in an August 9 letter stating that while he couldn’t comment on the specifics of cases, the department treats such matters very seriously and that employees found to have taken discriminatory actions will be disciplined or even terminated.
State Department official Shalom M. Konstantino, who heads the Jewish Americans and Friends in the Foreign Affairs group in the department that spearheaded the letter, told Foreign Policy that Blinken’s response showed that he was committed to addressing the matter. “Our group is going to continue to work with the secretary and his staff to make sure accountability is at the forefront of our efforts to root out antisemitism from the halls of the [State Department headquarters] and all U.S. embassies and consulates around the world,” he said.
Another State Department official, however, expressed frustration over the fact that the department has yet to take action against Berggren, calling it “shocking and appalling.” “They say there are First Amendment issues, but at some point, that can’t be the right answer,” the official told Foreign Policy.
Berggren told Foreign Policy regarding his posts: “I am heartened to know that I have Jewish readers—I truly hope that they, like Saul, come to know Jesus Christ as literally the Son of God. Saul, renamed Paul, converted and began preaching the message: Jesus is the Son of God! If even one Jew or Gentile is converted then it is well worth whatever inconveniences may ensue.”
Various Jewish Twitter users expressed outrage that Berggren is still employed by the State Department.
“For years, U.S. State Department employee Fritz Berggren has maintained a blog attacking Jews and promoting white Christian supremacy,” Combat Antisemitism Movement tweeted. “Six months after he was exposed, he still has his job, despite the demands of his co-workers for his firing.”
For years, U.S. State Department employee Fritz Berggren has maintained a blog attacking Jews and promoting white Christian supremacy.
Six months after he was exposed, he still has his job, despite the demands of his co-workers for his firing.https://t.co/vn9JNeLMLo
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 2, 2021
Ellie Cohanim, former US Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, similarly tweeted, “There was a swastika found near the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism recently, and this guy still has his job?!! That desecration felt very personal and so does this @SecBlinken.”
There was a swastika found near the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism recently, and this guy still has his job?!! That desecration felt very personal and so does this @SecBlinken. https://t.co/KiUc9NSdB7
— Ellie Cohanim (@EllieCohanim) September 2, 2021
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