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icrosoft has terminated four employees involved in recent workplace protests against the company’s business ties with Israel during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, including two who staged a sit-in this week at the office of company President Brad Smith.
The protest, organized by a group calling itself No Azure for Apartheid, has sought to pressure the U.S. technology giant to end its contracts with the Israeli government and its security agencies. The group claims Microsoft’s Azure cloud services have been used to facilitate Israeli surveillance and military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, the activist group named Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli as the first two workers to receive termination notices via voicemail. On Thursday, the group added that two other employees, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, were also dismissed.
According to the group, those four were among several employees and supporters who had set up protest encampments at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, in recent weeks.
Microsoft confirmed the terminations on Thursday, saying the actions were taken after “serious breaches of company policies” during on-site demonstrations. “The recent protests created significant safety concerns for staff and disrupted normal business operations,” the company said.
The firings come amid mounting tensions within major U.S. corporations over their business relationships with Israel, as the genocide in Gaza continues to draw international condemnation. More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military offensive in October 2023.
Images of destruction, mass displacement and hunger in Gaza have spurred protests across U.S. campuses, streets, and workplaces over the past year. Tech firms, universities and research institutions have faced calls to cut ties with Israel or end contracts seen as aiding its military operations.
Hattle, one of the fired employees, said in a statement released by No Azure for Apartheid: “We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality.”
Hattle and Fameli were among seven protesters arrested on Tuesday after occupying Smith’s office. The other five were identified as either former Microsoft employees or outside activists unaffiliated with the company.
Smith has previously said that Microsoft respects “freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully,” but emphasized that disruptions to company operations would not be tolerated.
The protests intensified after a joint media investigation earlier this month by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call alleged that an Israeli military surveillance agency has been using Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to store vast troves of recordings of phone calls made by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
In response to the allegations, Microsoft said it had hired law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an independent review of the claims and its related business practices.
Other incidents of employee dissent have occurred in recent months. In April, two Microsoft employees were fired after interrupting a speech by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration to protest its contracts with Israel.
Microsoft is among several U.S. technology and defense companies that have faced internal unrest over their dealings with Israel, as well as scrutiny from advocacy groups calling for corporate accountability in conflict zones. Firms such as Google and Amazon have also seen petitions and walkouts over similar concerns tied to their contracts with Israeli defense entities.
While critics accuse Microsoft of enabling surveillance and military operations in Gaza, the company maintains that its products are sold in compliance with U.S. export laws and regulations. It has not publicly disclosed the details of its contracts with Israeli agencies.
Analysts say the latest firings could deepen tensions between tech companies and segments of their workforce who demand stronger corporate responsibility. No Azure for Apartheid has vowed to continue its campaign, demanding that Microsoft sever its business ties with Israel and provide reparations to Palestinians affected by the genocide. The group said it plans further demonstrations in coming weeks.
(Source: Reuters)
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