Eighteen people were arrested on Wednesday during worker-led protests at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters, as the company pledged an “urgent” review of how the Israeli military uses its technology amid the war with Gaza. The demonstrations, which entered a second day, demanded that Microsoft cut business ties with Israel. Unlike Tuesday, when roughly 35 protesters dispersed after being asked to leave, police said Wednesday’s group “resisted and became aggressive” after the company reported them for trespassing.“18 arrested for various charges during a protest at Microsoft Campus. Redmond police are at the scene of a demonstration at the Microsoft campus. On Aug 20, around 12.15 pm (local time), Redmond officers were dispatched to a large gathering of protestors in the Microsoft courtyard,” Redmond police said through a post on X.Some protesters reportedly splashed paint on the Microsoft sign and pavement, while others blocked a pedestrian bridge using tables and chairs taken from vendors to create a barricade, the police said.“Officers took 18 into custody for multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest, and obstruction. No injuries were reported,” the police stated on X. Following the arrests, Microsoft said in a statement that it “will continue to do the hard work needed to uphold its human rights standards in the Middle East, while supporting and taking clear steps to address unlawful actions that damage property, disrupt business or that threaten and harm others”.About 50 current and former Microsoft employees, joined by community supporters, occupied the company’s Redmond headquarters on Tuesday, in the largest protest yet against its contracts with Israel.The group, part of the “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign, renamed the East Campus Plaza “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza,” setting up tents, memorials for Gaza victims, and a negotiating table urging executives to end ties with the Israeli military.The group claimed on Wednesday that the technology is “being used to surveil, starve and kill Palestinians,” as reported by AP.The protesters on Tuesday posted online a call for what they called a “worker intifada,” using language evoking the Palestinian uprisings against Israeli military occupation that began in 1987.
Why are workers protesting
The protest comes after reports by The Guardian and +972 magazine revealed that Israel’s military surveillance unit stored millions of Palestinian phone calls on Azure servers, with the data later used to reportedly inform bombing targets in the beseiged Gaza Strip.As per news agency AP, the Israeli military relies on Microsoft’s Azure to transcribe, translate, and process intelligence from mass surveillance, which is then cross-referenced with its own AI-driven targeting systems.The Associated Press also reported in February that Microsoft has a close partnership with Israel’s ministry of defence, with military use of its commercial AI products increasing nearly 200-fold following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.Microsoft hired law firm Covington & Burling to independently review these allegations, but maintains it has “found no evidence” that its technologies were used to target civilians.
