Microsoft has fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza during Israel’s yearlong war with Hamas.

Microsoft has fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza during Israel’s war with Hamas.

The two employees told The Associated Press they were fired by phone call late Thursday, several hours after a lunchtime event they organized at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington.

Both workers were members of a coalition of employees called “No Azure for Apartheid” that has opposed Microsoft’s sale of its cloud-computing technology to the Israeli government. But they contended that Thursday’s event was similar to other Microsoft-sanctioned employee giving campaigns for people in need.

“We have so many community members within Microsoft who have lost family, lost friends or loved ones,” said Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist. “But Microsoft really failed to have the space for us where we can come together and share our grief and honor the memories of people who can no longer speak for themselves.”

Microsoft said Friday it has “ended the employment of some individuals in accordance with internal policy” but declined to provide details.

Google earlier this year fired more than 50 workers in the aftermath of protests over technology the company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war. The firings stemmed from internal turmoil and sit-in protests at Google offices centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.

  • rukaslan@ani.socialEnglish
    0·
    6 days ago

    That’s what you get for supporting terrorist organisations. Palestine war isn’t a simple war. Israel needs to ensure that no oct7 can happen in future. To do that, they needed to crush every Hamas member. Now, Palestinians helping Hamas members to hide. That makes them responsible as well. Besides, Israel can’t afford to lose more of their IDF soldiers to save women and children, who will most likely become other terrorists who will attack them in future. That’s the reality, and you can’t play dumb in war. Israel has every right to defend itself, and the West will always support them. And take some interviews with Jewish children from the West about how they are being bullied for being Jews. Muslims go to the West, chant for the Caliphate, and call for the genocide of all of the Jews. After Jews, atheists and Christians next. No community in the world can live side by side peacefully. You let them live, they will start to attack your religion, and your beliefs in the name of freedom of speech.

    • kaffiene@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      5 days ago

      Opposing Genocide is not supporting terrorism… You can think Hamas is bad AND Genocide, also. I’m sorry that you find this complex

    • Petter1@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      5 days ago

      They can not attack my religion, I don’t have one. I think all religions are BS or just an outdated law.

    • SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      I have seen some surprisingly uninformed users on the Internet, but you’re definitely up amongst the worst of them.

      You know you’re on the Internet, right? You can use it to learn things instead of uncritically repeating whatever your favorite talking heads said.

    • B312@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      Israel can’t afford to save women and children, who will likely become other terrorists

      What kind of fucked up facist propaganda is this?

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
      0·
      6 days ago

      God damn, zero shame shill spotted.

      Bro this propaganda aint tricking anybody anymore.

      Tell hasbara or aipac to provide new prompts.

    • WaxedWookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      Palestinians killed in Gaza aren’t terrorists - they’re the victims of a genocide.

      Since October 7th, 44,000 Palestinians have been killed compared to 1,706 Israelis. The stats over the past few decades don’t deviate much from this ratio. Israel is killing many times more Palestinians, and a higher ratio of children, they’re seizing land, holding many times more hostages, and committing and proudly documenting countless warcrimes.

      Does Palestine have the right to defend itself like Israel? What would that look like to you? I ask mostly because you’re actively supporting an ongoing genocide while blaming the victims of that genocide while applying inconsistent, nonsensical standards across the two groups.

    • rekabis@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      Then how about we simply eradicate all the Israeli invaders?

      It’s an exceedingly simple solution - if we remove the settlers that are killing off the native Palestinian peoples and stealing their land, there would be no more conflict!

      Or are you more in favour of killing off the rightful Palestinian land owners instead? I mean, white peoples have been doing that for millennia now, the American First Nations peoples were just the most recent of many to be genocided by western peoples.