Microsoft Sacks Four Workers After Protesting Israel Ties
(MENAFN) Microsoft has dismissed a total of four employees following a protest at its Washington state headquarters where demonstrators, campaigning against the company's business in Israel, breached the office of President and Vice-Chair Brad Smith.
The company confirmed the two latest terminations on Thursday, escalating its response to the Tuesday incident. "Two additional employees were terminated due to serious violations of established company policies and our code of conduct," a Microsoft spokesperson stated, one day after the initial two firings were announced.
The dismissals are the direct result of a demonstration organized by activists from the No Azure for Apartheid organization. Seven current and former staff members infiltrated Smith's office at the Redmond campus, demanding that Microsoft sever its connections to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Microsoft has affirmed it is working with law enforcement and that an investigation is ongoing. A company spokesperson on Thursday described the conduct as "entirely unacceptable" and a violation of company values and policies.
During the protest, demonstrators occupied Building 34, holding banners and chanting slogans. One sign temporarily renamed the executive office the "Mai Ubeid Building" to commemorate a Palestinian software engineer from Gaza who was killed in a 2023 Israeli airstrike. Another banner explicitly called for Microsoft to "cut ties with Israel."
According to reports, police arrested all seven individuals who entered Smith's office. The activist group No Azure for Apartheid later used Instagram to identify two of the dismissed employees as Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle.
The incident represents a flashpoint in what has been described as a "small but persistent revolt" within Microsoft over its work with Israel. The protests have gained momentum following reports that Israel's Unit 8200 intelligence division utilized the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to store recordings of Palestinian phone calls. Furthermore, media outlets revealed earlier this year that Microsoft had partnered with Israel's Defense Ministry to process intelligence for selecting targets.
In response to a media report, Microsoft said an internal review found no evidence its Azure or AI technologies were used to harm individuals in Gaza. While the full review was not made public, the company has committed to sharing findings from a follow-up review requested by media upon its completion.
Israel’s genocidal war has devastated the Gaza Strip, where Israeli military operations have killed over 63,000 Palestinians since October 2023, creating widespread famine and rendering large areas uninhabitable.
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