Microsoft Fires Four Employees Over Gaza War Protest

Microsoft has terminated four employees for allegedly participating in internal protests over the company’s relationship with Israel. Two of these employees had staged a sit-in this week at President Brad Smith’s office.

The protest group “No Azure for Apartheid” stated in a Wednesday release that employees Anna Hatle and Ricky Fameli were informed of their dismissal via voicemail. The next day, two more employees — Nisrin Jaradat and Julius Shann — were also let go in the same manner.

These employees had recently set up a protest camp at Microsoft’s headquarters to oppose the company’s support to Israel. According to the group, Microsoft is providing Israel with technology through its Azure cloud software that enables atrocities in Gaza.

Hatle said in a statement, “We are protesting here because Microsoft is supplying Israel with tools for genocide while presenting a different reality to its own employees, creating confusion.”

During the sit-in at Brad Smith’s office on Tuesday, seven people were detained. Two were current employees, and the remaining five were former employees or outside supporters.

Microsoft, however, stated that the terminations were due to violations of company policy and creating “safety risks” in the workplace. President Smith commented, “Microsoft respects freedom of expression, but it must be exercised in a lawful manner.”

A recent joint investigation by The Guardian, 972 Magazine, and Local Call revealed that Israel’s military intelligence is using Microsoft Azure cloud to store massive amounts of Palestinian telephone records. The revelation has intensified criticism against Microsoft