Microsoft Employees Fight Back against “Israeli” Genocide Tools

By Staff, Agencies

Employees and activists have gathered at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington headquarters, demanding the company cut its ties with "Israel" and stop its contribution of deadly technology to "Tel Aviv’s" ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The rally, which had gathered around 36 participants, began on Tuesday in a central plaza on Microsoft’s main campus, where protesters pitched tents and declared the space a “liberated zone.”

Addressing the crowd through a microphone, former employee and protest organizer Hossam Nasr said, “We are here because over 22 months of genocide, 'Israel' — powered by Microsoft — has been killing, maiming Palestinian children every hour.”

Roughly an hour later, a Redmond police officer warned demonstrators over a loudspeaker that they were trespassing and could face arrest if they stayed.

The protesters were forced to fold up their tents and banners before regrouping on a nearby sidewalk.

For over a year, the employee-led group “No Azure for Apartheid” has demanded Microsoft end contracts with "Israel" and its military agencies, highlighting how Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform enables surveillance and military strikes against Palestinians.

Despite several organizers being fired for “unauthorized protests and disruptions at executive events,” employees and former colleagues continue to speak out.

“Microsoft is the most complicit digital arms manufacturer in 'Israel’s' genocide of Gaza,” said Nisreen Jaradat, a current employee.

Microsoft has publicly denied any involvement in the entity's atrocities. In a blog post in May, it claimed it had “found no evidence to date that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people” in Gaza.

Earlier this month, though, the company hired the law firm Covington & Burling to conduct, what it called was, an "outside review" after media reports linked Azure servers to "Israel’s" operations.

According to The Guardian, +972 Magazine, an "Israeli" outlet, and Local Call, a Hebrew-language news website, "Israel" has intercepted millions of Palestinian phone calls and stored them on Microsoft’s cloud.

The Tuesday demonstration at Microsoft reflected a broader protest movement across the United States.

Since the start of the genocide in October 2023, students at more than 100 universities, including Columbia, have staged encampments, demanding their schools divest from "Israel" and weapons manufacturers that keep feeding "Israeli" aggression.