Microsoft has fired two workers who organized an unauthorized vigil on the firm’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza throughout Israel’s struggle with Hamas.
Nasr stated his firing was disclosed on social media by the watchdog group Cease Antisemitism greater than an hour earlier than he acquired the decision from Microsoft(Pixabay)
The 2 workers informed The Related Press they had been fired by telephone name late Thursday, a number of hours after a lunchtime occasion they organized at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington.
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Each workers had been members of a coalition of workers known as “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 gift campaigns for people in need.
“We have so many community members within Microsoft who have lost family, lost friends or loved ones,” said Abdelrahman Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist. “However Microsoft actually didn’t have the house for us the place we are able to come collectively and share our grief and honor the reminiscences of people that can now not communicate for themselves.”
Microsoft stated Friday it has “ended the employment of some individuals in accordance with internal policy” however declined to offer particulars.
Mohamed, who’s from Egypt, stated he now wants a brand new job within the subsequent two months to switch a piece visa and keep away from deportation.
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One other fired employee, Hossam Nasr, stated the aim of the vigil was each “to honor the victims of the Palestinian genocide in Gaza and to call attention to Microsoft’s complicity in the genocide” due to using its expertise by the Israeli army.
Nasr stated his firing was disclosed on social media by the watchdog group Cease Antisemitism greater than an hour earlier than he acquired the decision from Microsoft. The group did not instantly reply Friday to a request for touch upon the way it realized concerning the firing.
The identical group had months earlier publicly known as on Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to take motion in opposition to Nasr for his public stances on Israel.
Nasr, an Egyptian-raised 2021 graduate of Harvard College, can also be a co-organizer of Harvard Alumni for Palestine.
Google earlier this 12 months fired greater than 50 employees within the aftermath of protests over expertise the corporate is supplying the Israeli authorities amid the Gaza struggle. The firings stemmed from inside turmoil and sit-in protests at Google places of work centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to offer the Israeli authorities with cloud computing and synthetic intelligence companies.
Microsoft stated in its assertion Friday concerning the firings that it stays “dedicated to maintaining a professional and respectful work environment. Due to privacy and confidentiality considerations, we cannot provide specific details.”
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