Ford placed an employee on suspension for booing U.S. President Donald Trump while he was inspecting one of the company's plants.
On the 14th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and other outlets said Ford employee T.J. Sabula, 40, who booed President Trump, was suspended.
According to the WSJ, a Ford Spokesperson said, "One of our company's core values is respect, and we do not tolerate anyone making such inappropriate remarks in our facilities."
Earlier, on the 13th, President Trump was booed by an on-site employee while touring Ford's F-150 pickup truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
Sabula hurled the jeer "protector of pedophiles" at President Trump, and Trump turned toward the sound and struck a "middle finger gesture" pose. He also appeared to mouth the curse "fxxx you" (get lost) twice.
Some speculated it reflected dissatisfaction with how the Trump administration handled the case of Jeffrey Epstein, a perpetrator of sexual exploitation of minors.
Sabula, who was suspended, told the Washington Post (WP) in an interview that he had "no regrets at all" about his actions.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) expressed support for Sabula. Laura Dickerson, UAW Ford department vice president, said, "Sabula is a believer in freedom of expression, and that is a principle we fully support," adding, "We will stand with our members to the end to protect their voices on the shop floor."
After news of Sabula's suspension broke, a fundraising campaign began. Bloomberg News reported that following the disciplinary action, the fundraising platform GoFundMe hosted a campaign titled "Sabula is a patriot." As of the 14th, about 14,700 people had participated, raising more than $325,000 (about 480 million won).