Microsoft has terminated the employment of two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, to honor Palestinians killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The employees, who received notification of their termination by phone late Thursday, were part of a group called “No Azure for Apartheid,” which opposes Microsoft’s sale of cloud-computing technology to the Israeli government. They argued that their event was similar to other sanctioned campaigns for humanitarian causes within the company, emphasizing the need for a space to grieve and remember lost community members.
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In response to the firings, Microsoft confirmed that it had ended the employment of certain individuals in line with internal policies but did not provide further details. Abdo Mohamed, one of the terminated employees, expressed concern about his work visa status, stating he now needs to find a new job quickly to avoid deportation.
Another fired employee, Hossam Nasr, clarified that the vigil aimed to honor victims and highlight Microsoft’s perceived complicity in the situation due to its technology being used by the Israeli military.
The incident mirrors recent firings at Google related to protests against its contracts with the Israeli government, underscoring tensions surrounding corporate involvement in geopolitical issues.
Peoplesmind
