Two Microsoft employees fired after sit-in protest against company’s Israel ties

Two Microsoft employees were fired on August 27 after participating in a sit-in protest at the office of company President Brad Smith, calling for the tech giant to sever ties with Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the terminations, stating the employees were dismissed due to “serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct” related to “the break-in at the executive offices," Caliber.Az reprts per Reuters. 

The two workers, Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli, were notified of their dismissal through voicemails, according to a statement from the protest group No Azure for Apartheid. The group, named in reference to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, has demanded that the company cut all ties with Israel and provide reparations to Palestinians.

Hattle and Fameli were among seven protesters arrested on August 26 after staging an occupation of Smith’s office. The other five individuals were either former Microsoft employees or outside activists unaffiliated with the company.

“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,” Hattle said in a statement issued on August 27.

In response to the protest, Smith stated on August 26: “We respect the freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully.”

The sit-in follows recent revelations from a joint investigation by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language publication Local Call. The investigation reported that an Israeli military surveillance agency was using Microsoft’s Azure software to store recordings of phone calls made by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. It also claimed Israel uses Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure to conduct extensive surveillance of Palestinians.

In response to the investigation, Microsoft said it had hired law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct a review.

Microsoft is among several corporations and educational institutions facing mounting protests over their connections with Israel, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. The ongoing Israeli military offensive has led to widespread destruction, a hunger crisis, and the internal displacement of the entire population of Gaza. Images of starving children and civilian casualties have sparked global outrage.

By Sabina Mammadli