Google Fires 28 Employees Following Protests Over Business Ties With Israel

Google has taken decisive action following protests staged by employees over the tech giant's business connections with the Israeli government.

The company terminated 28 employees who participated in a 10-hour sit-in at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. The protests were organised by pro-Palestinian staffers, some of whom adorned traditional Arab headscarves during the demonstrations.

According to Chris Rackow, Google's vice president of global security, the terminated employees engaged in unacceptable behaviour by occupying office spaces, defacing property and obstructing the work of other employees. The protests extended to Google offices in Seattle under the banner of "No Tech for Genocide Day of Action."

The protesters demanded Google pull out of USD 1.2 billion contract, known as "Project Nimbus," which involves providing cloud-computing and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli government and military. Concerns were raised that the technology could be utilised against Palestinians in Gaza.

The terminated employees were associated with a group called No Tech For Apartheid, critical of Google's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. They accused Google of prioritising its contract with the Israeli government over its employees' concerns.

In response, a Google spokesperson confirmed the firings, stressing that the protests violated company policies by impeding other employees' work and preventing access to facilities. The spokesperson stated that investigations led to the termination of employment for the protesting employees and affirmed Google's commitment to taking action against disruptive behavior.

During the protests, demonstrators reportedly stormed the personal office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Sunnyvale, where they displayed their demands on his whiteboard. The protests led to multiple arrests for trespassing, both in New York and California.