Microsoft Protest: 18 Arrested At Redmond Headquarters Over Israel Ties

Police arrested 18 people at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Wednesday after workers and supporters staged protests over the company’s business links with Israel.

According to AP, the demonstrators occupied part of the campus for a second day, calling on Microsoft to cut ties immediately. Unlike Tuesday, when protesters left after being asked to disperse, police said those who gathered on Wednesday refused to leave and became aggressive.

“We said, ‘please leave or you will be arrested,’ and they chose not to leave so they were detained,” Redmond police spokesperson Jill Green told AP.

Protesters also splattered red paint, resembling blood, across the landmark Microsoft sign outside the headquarters. Police said those arrested face multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and obstruction. No injuries were reported, and it was not immediately clear how many of those detained were Microsoft employees.

The demonstrations follow reports in The Guardian that the Israeli military used Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft has said it hired law firm Covington & Burling to carry out an “urgent” review into the allegations, reported AP.

The company said its terms of service prohibit such use and that the claims “merit a full and urgent review.” It added that it will make the law firm’s findings public once the review is complete.

Microsoft has previously acknowledged that its technology is used by the Israeli military but said a review commissioned after an Associated Press report in February found no evidence its systems were used to target or harm people in Gaza. That review has not been published.

The worker-led group No Azure for Apartheid, which organised Wednesday’s protest, said Microsoft’s technology is “being used to surveil, starve and kill Palestinians.”

Microsoft has dismissed recent disruptions by employees at company events. In May, an employee was fired for interrupting a speech by chief executive Satya Nadella, while two others were dismissed in April for protesting during the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

After Wednesday’s arrests, the company said it would continue its human rights commitments in the region, but also take steps to address “unlawful actions that damage property, disrupt business or that threaten and harm others.”

(With inputs from AP)