Microsoft Fires Two More Employees Over Protests
Two additional employees were dismissed last evening linked to a demonstration that took place inside the premises of the office of Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president. This recent dismissal is in relation to Microsoft’s continued reprimand against employees who staged an uproar against the company’s agreements with the Israeli defense and governmental institutions. The two dismissed employees, identified as Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, had their employment terminated due to their roles in the protests that led to the formation of protest camps at Microsoft’s main office, so says Hossam Nasr, a leader at the No Azure for Apartheid community.
As additional details surfaced, it was discovered that another pair of Microsoft’s staff were shown the exit the previous evening due to their participation in an impactful protest that allowed the group to infiltrate a company edifice and broadcast their activities live from inside Brad Smith’s office. Prior to her dismissal, Jaradat had dispersed a mass email throughout the corporation expressing her discontent with the treatment meted out to her by the company in her capacity as a Palestinian employee. These bold actions were in direct disregard of the company’s existing rules concerning the use of language with regards to Palestine and Gaza within its perimeter.
The No Azure for Apartheid group has marked its presence with quite a handful of public demonstrations against Microsoft as the year has unfolded. Some of these zealous disruptions saw the group interfere with livestream presentations by executive members of the company on more than one occasion since the spring. Furthermore, the group took drastic steps in their protest, attempting to seize a public area within the vicinity of Microsoft’s headquarters.
Despite their immediate eviction, the undeterred group returned the following day equipped with tents and tables. In a fervent display of aggression, they splashed a sign belonging to Microsoft with red paint; an act that led to the arrest of 18 individuals. Indicating a resilient spirit, the demonstrators made another appearance at the scene on Tuesday sparking a protest in the actual office of Smith.
Following the recent incidents, Smith went on to address the media in a press briefing. During the conference, he stated that Microsoft is putting in daily efforts to examine any potential misuse of Azure within the Israeli confines. Nevertheless, he made it clear that the actions taken up by the protesters were, in his words, ‘not ok’. In light of the unfolding situation, Microsoft expressed its reservation in providing any official statement that could be attributed to the company.