New Delhi: Google has taken decisive action by firing 28 employees who took part in a sit-in protest opposing the companys $1.2 billion agreement with Israel. The dismissals come in the wake of a series of events where employees, some adorned in traditional Arab headscarves, marched to Googles top cloud executives office in California, while others staged sit-ins at the companys New York City headquarters.Google employees advocate for dropping business deal with IsraelOn April 16, Google employees advocating for the cessation of business ties with the Israeli government and military found themselves arrested after occupying the office of Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, in California. The protestors demanded an end to “business with the Israeli apartheid government and military.” Subsequently, these employees were let go following an internal investigation, as revealed in a company-wide memo by Chris Rackow, Googles vice president of worldwide security, as reported by The New York Post.“They took over office spaces, defaced our property, and physically impeded the work of other Googlers,” stated Chris Rackow in the memo. He further emphasized, “Their behaviour was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made co-workers feel threatened.”No Tech for Apartheid: Google employees arrested and firedThe No Tech for Apartheid movement saw employees staging a protest within the office premises, urging Alphabet Inc. to halt its involvement in what they perceived as powering Israels genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” While it remains unclear if all nine arrested employees faced termination, Google had previously placed them on administrative leave and restricted their access to internal systems.#Google #Fires 28 #Employees Involved in #Protest of Israeli Cloud ContractThe dismissals escalated longstanding tensions between company leaders and activist employees opposed to supplying technology to Israels government. pic.twitter.com/5rvLbz5eOg— Gillani Syed (@Syed_GiLLaniG) April 18, 2024In his statement, Rackow declared, “Following an investigation, today we terminated the employment of twenty-eight employees found to be involved. We will continue to investigate and take action as needed.”“Behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it. It clearly violates multiple policies that all employees must adhere to – including our code of conduct and policy on harassment, discrimination, retaliation, standards of conduct, and workplace concerns,” he underscored.What is Project NimbusFive Google employees were arrested on charges of trespassing after refusing to vacate the office premises during the protest. They were subsequently released. A spokesperson revealed that the protest centered around Googles participation in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion project providing cloud services to the Israeli government, including its military.
