Microsoft locks Down A Building After Protesters Get Inside President’s Office

Redmond constabulary extracurricular Microsoft’s building 34 | Image: No Azure for Apartheid

Microsoft has locked down a building astatine its office aft protesters managed to get wrong nan agency of nan company’s president. Current and erstwhile Microsoft workers held a sit-in protestation wrong Brad Smith’s agency successful Building 34, demanding that nan institution trim ties pinch nan Israeli government.

The protesters unrecorded streamed themselves on Twitch entering Building 34, a building that houses Microsoft executives, and heading to Smith’s office, earlier unfurling banners during nan sit-in protest. “Brad Smith you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!” shouted immoderate of nan protesters wrong Smith’s office. Noisemakers were besides been attached to balloons successful nan entranceway of Building 34. One announcement sounds “The People’s Court Summons Bradford Lee Smith connected Charges of Crimes Against Humanity.”

Abdo Mohamed, a No Azure for Apartheid organizer and erstwhile tech worker fired by Microsoft, confirmed to The Verge that Microsoft labor Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle are portion of today’s sit-in protest, alongside erstwhile Microsoft labor Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr, and Joe Lopez.

This latest protestation comes little than a week aft a Microsoft worker was arrested astatine nan company’s headquarters. Anna Hattle, a Microsoft package engineer, was arrested on pinch erstwhile Microsoft workers Agrawal, Nasr, and Lopez past week aft Redmond constabulary claimed immoderate protestors “became aggressive” during a protestation astatine a plaza successful Microsoft’s headquarters.

The No Azure for Apartheid group has been organizing a bid of protests complete Microsoft’s unreality contracts pinch nan Israeli authorities successful caller months. A erstwhile Microsoft employee disrupted nan company’s 50th day event and called Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a “war profiteer.” Microsoft’s 3 CEOs were also interrupted by different erstwhile Microsoft worker during nan aforesaid event. The group also disrupted Microsoft’s Build conference earlier this twelvemonth aggregate times, and Microsoft even blocked emails that incorporate “Palestine” aft these worker protests.

The Guardian, successful business with +972 Magazine and Local Call, published an investigation earlier this period which revealed that nan Israeli authorities is relying connected Microsoft’s unreality services to shop recordings and information of up to “a cardinal calls an hour” made by Palestinians.

We’ve reached retired to Microsoft for remark connected this latest protestation wrong nan company’s ain offices, but nan institution didn’t respond successful clip for publication.