18 arrested in worker-led protests at Microsoft over Israeli military ties

Police arrested 18 individuals on Wednesday, 20 August, during a worker-led protest at Microsoft’s headquarters, as the tech giant pledged an “urgent” review of the Israeli military’s use of its technology amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The demonstration, the second consecutive day of protests at the Redmond campus, called on Microsoft to immediately sever business ties with Israel. On Tuesday, roughly 35 protesters occupying a plaza between office buildings left peacefully after being asked to do so by the company.

However, according to the Redmond Police Department, Wednesday’s demonstrators “resisted and became aggressive” when staff requested they leave, prompting law enforcement intervention.

During the protest, participants splattered red paint — symbolising blood — over a prominent Microsoft sign. “We said, ‘Please leave or you will be arrested,’ and they chose not to leave, so they were detained,” police spokesperson Jill Green said.

Microsoft last week confirmed it had engaged a law firm to investigate allegations reported by The Guardian, which claimed that the Israeli Defence Forces used Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to store phone call data collected through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The company emphasised that its standard terms of service prohibit such use and described the report as raising “precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review.”

Earlier this year, The Associated Press revealed further details about Microsoft’s partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defence. It reported that military use of commercial artificial intelligence products had surged nearly 200-fold following the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023. According to the AP, the Israeli military relies on Azure to transcribe, translate, and process intelligence gathered from mass surveillance, which can then be cross-referenced with in-house AI-enabled targeting systems.

Microsoft acknowledged the military applications but stated that an internal review found no evidence that its Azure platform or AI technologies were used to target or harm civilians in Gaza. The company did not release the review or identify the reviewers. Microsoft said it will share findings from the latest independent review, conducted by law firm Covington & Burling, once complete.

The announcement of a second review did little to satisfy the employee-led activist group No Azure for Apartheid, which has long protested Microsoft’s supply of technology to the Israeli military. The group claims that the software is “being used to surveil, starve and kill Palestinians.”

Protests over Microsoft’s ties with Israel have previously led to employee dismissals. In May, one staff member was fired after interrupting a speech by CEO Satya Nadella, while two others were dismissed in April for disrupting the company’s 50th anniversary celebration.

On social media, Tuesday’s protesters called for a “worker intifada,” using language reminiscent of the Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation that began in 1987.

Wednesday’s police statement confirmed that 18 individuals were taken into custody on multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest, and obstruction. It was unclear how many of those arrested were Microsoft employees. No injuries were reported.

In response, Microsoft issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to “uphold human rights standards in the Middle East” while addressing “unlawful actions that damage property, disrupt business or that threaten and harm others.”

Demonstrators, who declared part of the campus a “Free Zone,” held placards reading “Join the Worker Intifada – No Labour for Genocide” and “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza.” The protest, organised by the activist group No Azure for Genocide, called on Microsoft to end its contracts with Israel and divest from the country.

The events come less than a week after Microsoft confirmed it had launched an independent review into claims that its Azure cloud services were being used by the Israeli military for surveillance purposes.

With agency Inputs