Outrage after US diplomat Sarab B Rogers equates refugees with 'barbarian racist hordes' Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 01/16/2026 - 18:23 Rogers used openly racist and Islamophobic language online, with critics warning it reflects a broader normalisation of hate in official political discourse The US Department of State building in Washington, DC, on 22 July 2019 (Alastair Pike/AFP) Off In a post on Thursday that has ignited fierce backlash on social media, the US under secretary of state for public diplomacy, Sarah B Rogers, sparked controversy with a message widely condemned as racist and Islamophobic. Rogers, the top US diplomat responsible for public diplomacy and global messaging, posted comments on X (formerly Twitter) invoking stereotypes about Jews and immigrants that critics say echo the very bigotry the State Department claims to oppose. The message referenced Germany’s history and recent migration patterns in inflammatory terms: “Germany infamously retains very few Jews, yet imported barbarian rapist hordes…”, language that human rights advocates say crosses a line for a senior US official and feeds into racist narratives about refugees and Muslim communities. The remarks came in a thread responding to an unverified screenshot of a purported news article about a fringe claim that an Islamic scholar justified sexual violence, an article that, as of now, cannot be located or confirmed in any credible news outlet. Rogers initially quoted a screenshot criticising the German government for introducing another hate speech law targeting social media, saying, "In the wake of the Cologne attacks , a German lawmaker faced official sanctions and was threatened with prison for tweeting the phrase 'barbaric, gang-raping Muslim hordes'." What people usually mean by the “Cologne attacks” is the New Year’s Eve 2015-2016 sexual assaults in Cologne, when hundreds of women reported harassment and assault near the main train station. The attackers were reported as groups of men, many from North Africa and the Middle East, triggering a fierce debate over Germany's refugee policy. When another user replied to her, saying “jews let the browns in”, clearly with the intention of throwing more fire on the debate, she wrote the viral tweet that has caused outrage online. Across social media, activists and politicians condemned the remarks as not only offensive but antithetical to core democratic values. She just called refugees (predominantly Syrians received under Merkel) “barbarian rapist hordes.” Meanwhile, Syrians make up the largest group of foreign doctors in Germany. And no, Under Secretary, you are not allowed to call them that. https://t.co/CpyesoMw6G pic.twitter.com/UYCWe8y4X4 — Reem Rifai (@ReemRifai_) January 15, 2026 Others pointed out that portraying entire groups of refugees or religious communities as criminals or invaders is a classic tactic of racial and religious scapegoating . One social media user pointed out that a US official getting into social media feuds online “says a lot about the current political situation in the US right”. The fact that high-ranking US officials are engaged in factional disputes with online fascists says a lot about the current political situation in the US right https://t.co/OEEb7iZyi3 — Justin Gilmore (@prouns_) January 15, 2026 Critics on social media have argued that this episode is not an isolated slip but part of a larger trend of official US government social media accounts increasingly adopting overtly ideological or divisive language in recent months. Language has tilted towards culture-war rhetoric, often echoing political talking points rather than diplomatic language, especially in recent weeks concerning the crackdown on immigrants in the US. When government officials amplify or fail to repudiate Islamophobic or racist content through their social media, it normalises such discourse and emboldens extremist voices worldwide, critics say. Public diplomacy norms? Observers say what makes the episode particularly alarming is Rogers’ position. As undersecretary for public diplomacy, she is charged with shaping how the United States communicates with foreign publics, countering disinformation, and promoting values such as pluralism, tolerance, and human rights on the global stage. Instead, critics argue, her language mirrors the very extremist and conspiratorial rhetoric US diplomats routinely claim to oppose. Anti-racism campaigners online say the bluntness of the language reflects a broader erosion of restraint in official discourse. This racist and unhinged tweet comes from an official at the Department of State. Ironically she holds the same position as Breckinridge Long, the state dept. official who used that office to block Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. https://t.co/NTGPfpMCR5 pic.twitter.com/sMmvBCPpAb — Etan Nechin (@Etanetan23) January 15, 2026 The episode has intensified fears that Islamophobic and xenophobic framing is becoming normalised, not just tolerated, within official US political communication, particularly at a time when migration crackdowns and aggressive enforcement policies are already under scrutiny domestically and internationally. Critics warn that when the official face of US public diplomacy adopts the language of online provocation rather than statecraft, the damage extends far beyond a single tweet, undermining credibility, emboldening hate, and hollowing out the very concept of diplomacy itself. Why is an American diplomat posting like a coked out Klansman https://t.co/BzaHE9C7Au — Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) January 15, 2026 Diplomats, especially those dealing with public diplomacy, are tasked with promoting national values abroad, including equality, human rights, and religious freedom. Many online have argued that when a senior figure publicly reiterates derogatory views about religious or ethnic groups, it risks damaging the country’s moral authority on issues like antisemitism and Islamophobia. Anti-racism advocates argue that responsible leadership requires unequivocal rejection of hate, not rhetorical amplification of stereotypes. 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