Four employees, including two who took part in a sit-in this week at the company’s president’s office, have been fired from the company due to their involvement in protests on company grounds.
No Azure for Apartheid, a protest group, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli had received voicemails telling them they were fired.
The company reported on the firings of two more employees, Julius Shan and Nisreen Jaradat, on Thursday.
They were one of the demonstrators who had recently set up camps outside Microsoft’s headquarters to protest its support for Israel in the Gaza war.
According to Microsoft, the terminations occurred as a result of serious company policies violations. It claimed that recent on-site demonstrations had “created significant safety concerns” in a statement released on Thursday.
No Azure for Apartheid demanded that Microsoft’s Azure software be discontinued and Palestinians be compensated. The name refers to Microsoft’s Azure software.
In a statement, Hattle said, “We are here because Microsoft continues to gaslight and mislead its own employees about this reality.”
Seven protesters were detained on Tuesday after occupying company President Brad Smith’s office, including Hattle and Fameli. The remaining five were employees of Microsoft and non-profits.
According to Smith, Microsoft upheld “freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully.”
claims made by Microsoft’s Azure app
A joint media investigation this month discovered that a Palestinian-occupied West Bank and Gaza-based military surveillance agency was using Microsoft’s Azure software to store a sizable amount of phone calls recorded in the region.
According to the investigation, Israel relyed on Microsoft cloud for extensive Palestinian surveillance, which was carried out by The Guardian, + 972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.
Microsoft responded by requesting a review from law firm Covington &, Burling LLP.
Other Microsoft employees have voiced their opposition to the company’s ties to Israel.
An employee who was protesting the company’s ties to Israel during the technology company’s 50th anniversary celebration interrupted the remarks made by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman in April. Following that, that employee and another protesting employee both lost their jobs.
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel’s military assault has grown, and images of starving Palestinians, including children, have sparked outrage worldwide, businesses and educational institutions have been tipped over ties to Israel.
Source: Aljazeera
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