WASHINGTON: Redmond police arrested seven protesters on Tuesday after a sit-in at the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith in Washington.
The demonstration was part of an escalating campaign by the group “No Azure for Apartheid” — which includes current and former Microsoft employees — over what it describes as the company’s complicity in alleged Israeli war crimes through its Azure cloud services.
During the sit-in, which included demands that the tech giant sever ties with the Israeli military, demonstrators entered Building 34 and occupied Smith’s office.
They hung a notice that read “The People’s Court Summons Bradford Lee Smith on Charges of Crimes Against Humanity” and chanted slogans such as “Brad Smith, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!” and “Free Palestine.” They also hung a banner by the office window that said “Mai Ubeid Building,” in honor of a Palestinian software engineer killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
On Tuesday, Microsoft’s Smith confirmed two of the protesters were current employees who would face disciplinary action. No further details were disclosed as internal investigations are ongoing.
Abdo Mohamed, a “No Azure for Apartheid” organizer and former tech worker fired by Microsoft, told Arab News three of the detainees were former company employees.
A statement from Redmond police said seven individuals were arrested on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest and obstruction after they refused to leave the premises. Investigations are ongoing.
Simultaneously, police dispersed a one-hour rally held outside the building by around 30 demonstrators, including Microsoft employees and local community members.
Smith said the company was committed to listening to employees’ concerns and upholding the right to freedom of expression “that everyone in this country enjoys, as long as they do it lawfully.”
He said protesters “stormed the building, occupied an office, locked people out of the office, planted listening devices even in crude form and the form of cell phones, hidden under couches and behind books” and refused to leave when asked.
“That’s not okay,” he added, reaffirming Microsoft’s commitment to maintaining workplace safety and security while keeping communication channels with employees open. He said the company would be updating its security protocols to prevent similar breaches in the future.
The sit-ins come less than a week after 20 protesters were arrested for pouring red paint over a Microsoft sign and blocking a pedestrian bridge at the company’s East Campus in Redmond. The protests followed an investigation by The Guardian, in collaboration with +972 Magazine and Local Call, which revealed the Israeli military was using Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to store recordings of up to “a million calls an hour” made by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Microsoft launched an internal investigation into the allegations and pledged to make the findings public. The company said it primarily worked with the Israeli government to defend its cyberspace against external threats but acknowledged it had no visibility into how its services are used once deployed on customer-owned servers and devices.
“There are many things that we cannot do to change the world, but we will do what we can and what we should,” Smith told reporters. “That starts with ensuring that our human rights principles and contractual terms of service are upheld everywhere by all of our customers around the world.”
According to a Bloomberg report published on Tuesday, the growing protests prompted Microsoft to ask the FBI for help in tracking and stopping pro-Palestinian protests from disrupting major events. The move followed a high-profile incident during Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations in April, when two employees interrupted a panel discussion featuring CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates. It was reported their employment was later terminated.
Smith said the company did not retaliate against employees who raised concerns or submitted petitions through official internal channels.
“People can go protest in public spaces, whether it’s at the Redmond Transit Center or in a kayak on a public lake outside my house,” Smith said, referring to Sunday’s demonstrations in Lake Washington near his residence and that of Nadella.
“We don’t retaliate for that, but if people engage in vandalism, violate repeatedly our email policies, storm buildings and occupy offices; if they create threats to others, that’s different.”
