Microsoft Fires Two Employees Over Pro-Palestinian Protest
Two Microsoft employees were fired after staging a sit-in at company president Brad Smith’s office to protest the firm’s ties to Israel.
Microsoft confirmed it has fired two employees who joined a sit-in protest at the office of company president Brad Smith, demanding the firm cut its ties with Israel. The employees, Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli, were part of a group of seven activists arrested during Tuesday’s demonstration at the company’s Washington office. Microsoft described the incident as a “serious breach” of policy, citing a “break-in at the executive offices.”
Protest Against Cloud Surveillance Ties
The action was organised by the campaign group No Azure for Apartheid, which accuses Microsoft of enabling Israel’s war in Gaza through its cloud services. The group pointed to a joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, which found that an Israeli surveillance agency used Microsoft’s Azure cloud to store mass recordings of Palestinian phone calls from Gaza and the West Bank. Israel has also been accused of relying on Microsoft infrastructure for broader surveillance.
Worker Backlash and Company Response
In a statement, Hattle said: “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.” The protest group has called for reparations to Palestinians and an immediate severing of Microsoft’s defence-related ties with Israel.
Microsoft president Brad Smith responded that the company respects freedom of expression “as long as they do it lawfully.” Earlier this month, the firm hired law firm Covington & Burling LLP to review its contracts and operations after the revelations.
Broader Context of Gaza War Protests
This is not the first time Microsoft employees have faced dismissal over Gaza-related protests. In April, two other staff were fired after disrupting Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman’s remarks during the company’s 50th anniversary. Similar protests have also rocked U.S. universities and other major corporations.
The latest protest comes against the backdrop of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas fighters launched the October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced the entire population of Gaza, and triggered genocide accusations at international courts — charges Israel denies.