Microsoft has dismissed four employees for protesting against its ties to Israel, including two who staged a sit-in at the office of company president Brad Smith this week.
The protest group No Azure for Apartheid said on Wednesday that Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli received voicemails informing them they had been fired. It added a day later that Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan were also dismissed after joining demonstrations and encampments at Microsoft headquarters.
Microsoft said the terminations followed “serious breaches of company policies,” adding that recent on-site demonstrations had “created significant safety concerns.”
Hattle accused the company of complicity in Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality,” she said in a statement.
Hattle and Fameli were among seven protesters arrested on Tuesday after occupying Smith’s office. The other five were ex-employees or people unaffiliated with the firm.
Smith has insisted that Microsoft supports freedom of expression “as long as they do it lawfully.”
A recent investigation by the Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call, revealed that Israel’s military surveillance agency was using Microsoft’s Azure software to store vast amounts of Palestinians’ phone call recordings from the West Bank and Gaza. In response, Microsoft said it had asked law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct a review.
The latest firings come after other Microsoft staff protested earlier this year. In April, two employees were dismissed after interrupting AI chief Mustafa Suleyman’s remarks at the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Microsoft joins a growing list of firms and universities facing internal dissent and protests over ties to Israel as global outrage mounts over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel’s offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced Gaza's entire population and left many facing hunger, according to humanitarian groups. Israel launched the campaign after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and seized around 250 hostages in its 7 October 2023 assault.
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The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
Japan and Indonesia will deepen coordination on energy security, Tokyo said, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts vital oil and gas flows to Asia.
China's three largest state-owned airlines have issued warnings regarding their financial outlook for the current year, acknowledging that the eruption of war involving Iran has driven jet fuel prices to unsustainable highs.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
A senior Iranian military officer warned that American troops will become ‘food for sharks’ on Sunday if the U.S. launches a ground offensive in Iran. The threat came as contingents of U.S. Marines began to arrive in the Middle East, with thousands expected to be deployed in the region.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 31 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The Australian government has threatened to go to court in a bid to sue social media giants for allegedly flouting a ban on under-16s, as its internet regulator disclosed it is investigating some of the biggest platforms for suspected non-compliance with the world-first measure.
At least 70 people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in a gang attack in Haiti’s Artibonite region, according to two rights organisations, as thousands of residents fled the violence in the towns of Jean Denis and Pont Sondé.
Russia has expelled a British diplomat, accusing him of economic espionage in a move that further strains already tense relations between Moscow and London. The United Kingdom described the action as intimidation and rejected the allegations outright, Reuters reports.
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