Less than a week after 18 protesters associated with activist group No Azure for Apartheid were arrested while protesting Microsoft's dealings with the Israeli military, the group has staged a sit-in inside the office of Microsoft president Brad Smith. A report by The Verge says the building was subsequently locked down.
The protesters recorded at least two videos from inside Microsoft's Building 34, including one showing what appears to be security attempting to remove them, and posted them to Twitch, but they were quickly deleted.
No Azure for Apartheid said protesters also deployed noisemakers attached to balloons prior to the sit-in, and posted notices reading, "The People's Court Summons Bradford Lee Smith on Charges of Crimes Against Humanity."
Two banners were also hung inside Building 34, one declaring it renamed to "Mai Ubeid Building" and another repeating No Azure for Apartheid's demands:
- Cut Ties with Israel
- Call for an End to the Genocide and Forced Starvation
- Pay Reparations to the Palestinians
- End the Discrimination Against Workers
Current and former Microsoft workers are supporting the sit-in with a rally being held outside, during which copies of the document "We will not be cogs in the Israeli genocidal machine: a call for a Worker Intifada" were distributed. An 18-foot scroll displaying the signatures of more than 2,000 people who have signed No Azure for Apartheid's online petition was also displayed.
The occupation of Smith's office represents a significant escalation over previous protests, which began earlier this year with individual employees disrupting Microsoft's 50th anniversary event and Build conference. Earlier this month, protesters set up an encampment in Microsoft's East Campus Plaza, which was dispersed by police; the group returned the following day, and police subsequently arrested 18 protesters.
Microsoft has thus far refused to engage with the protesters but they seem to be having an impact, as pressure on the company to end its work with the Israeli government is growing. A group of Microsoft shareholders have demanded a report into the company's "human rights due diligence" over allegations of war crime complicity in Gaza and some employees of Microsoft-owned studio Arkane Lyon have also called on the company to stop supporting the Israeli government. The BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) movement has called for a boycott of Microsoft's products due to its dealings with Israel.
A recent report by The Guardian has alleged that Israel is using Microsoft's cloud services for mass surveillance of Palestinians. Microsoft has said that it's "pursuing a thorough and independent review of new allegations first reported earlier this month about the purported use of its Azure platform in Israel."
We've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update if we receive a reply.
