According to a Google spokesperson, 28 employees have been dismissed by the company after participating in a sit-down protest against Google’s contract with the Israeli government.
The protest, organized by the group “No Tech for Apartheid,” took place on Tuesday and aimed to oppose Google’s joint $1.2 billion contract with Amazon to provide cloud services to the Israeli government.
The demonstration, which occurred in Sunnyvale, California, resulted in the arrest of Google workers inside the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. The occupation of Kurian’s office lasted for 10 hours, as reported by the advocacy group on X, formerly known as Twitter.
During the protest, workers displayed signs with messages such as “Googlers against Genocide,” referring to the allegations surrounding Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“No Tech for Apartheid” also organized protests in New York and Seattle, citing an April 12 Time magazine article that revealed a draft contract in which Google billed the Israeli Ministry of Defense over $1 million for consulting services.
While a “small number” of employees caused disruptions at various Google locations, the company states that these protests are primarily driven by external organizations and individuals who are not employed by Google. In response to the protesters’ refusal to leave the premises, law enforcement was called to ensure the safety of the office.
The Google spokesperson confirmed that investigations have been conducted, resulting in the termination of employment for 28 individuals.
Google will continue to investigate and take appropriate action as necessary. It is important to note that Google provides cloud computing services to multiple governments, including Israel.
However, the spokesperson clarified that this work does not involve highly sensitive, classified, or military-related tasks related to weapons or intelligence services.
