Google fired 28 employees after anti-Israel sit-in protests

Google has fired 28 employees for participating in anti-Israel sit-in protests over a $1.2 billion cloud contract named Project Nimbus. This contract is a joint venture between Google and Amazon.com Inc. to provide AI and cloud services to the Israeli government.

Tech company “No Tech” organized anti-Israel protests yesterday April 17, 2024, at Google offices in New York, Seattle, Sunnyvale, and California. This protest was part of the “No Tech for Apartheid campaign against Israel.” Protestors in New York and California had a nearly 10-hour sit-in capturing an event via Twitch webcast.

Google fired 28 employees for staging in-office protests against the company's contract with Israel https://t.co/ZgyTGqnKrl
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) April 18, 2024

Nine protestors were arrested for alleged violation of company rules on behalf of Google. However, the Employees Relations department sent employees fired notice, including some who did not participate in the sit-in protests.

Google informed 28 employees through an email informing them the company had fired them. They gave reason for expulsion due to their involvement in the “No Tech for Apartheid campaign.”

Google reportedly stated that sit-in protests were a clear-cut Google policy violation. Protestors physically blocked other employees’ work and prevented them from accessing their facilities. It is completely unacceptable behavior.

According to Google, they had to call law enforcement officials to remove protestors to protect office safety as they repeatedly refused to leave the premises.

All of these Google employees have now been FIRED.

The tech giant has fired 28 workers who participated in protests in two of the companies offices.

Protesters demanded Google cancel a $1.2 billion cloud contract with Israel.

pic.twitter.com/R35frJJrXW
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 18, 2024

Click here to read updates on Google is shutting down Google Play Movies and TV app

Moreover, Google stated they had finished individual investigations so far, which led to the dismissal of 28 workers. They will keep looking into this matter and take further action as necessary.

However, the dismissal of employees from Google came after the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023. The employees participated in the “No Tech for Apartheid Campaign” sit-in protests in the wake of the worsened humanitarian crisis in Gaza against Israel.

Although Google has traditionally supported an environment of free discussion, recent employee activity has called into question that dedication. Google also penalized its employees for their activism. It came when impacted employees organized a walkout due to the way the company handled charges of sexual assault in 2018.