Google Fires 28 Employees Protesting Israel Contract
Google has dismissed 28 employees following a series of in-office protests at the company's New York and California locations. The employees were part of the "No Tech for Apartheid" organization, opposing Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government to provide cloud and artificial intelligence services to Israeli military and government agencies.
The firings occurred after a sit-in that resulted in nine protesters being arrested on trespassing charges. The employees who participated in the demonstration were accused of impeding the work of their colleagues and creating an environment that made co-workers feel threatened, according to Chris Rackow, Google's Vice President of Global Security.
The terminated employees, some of whom wore keffiyehs—a symbol of Palestinian nationalism—during the protests, have criticized Google's involvement with the Israeli military, expressing concerns that the technology provided could be used against Palestinians in Gaza. The company has indicated that it has conducted individual investigations into the incidents and will continue to review and act upon the matter as necessary.
