Google Terminates Employment of 28 Workers After Sit-In Protest Against Israel Contract
Google fired 28 employees after they staged a sit-in protest against the company's $1.2 billion cloud services contract with the Israeli government, as part of the "No Tech for Apartheid" campaign.
The group has been opposing this project for some time.
A video showed Google workers being arrested in Sunnyvale, California, during a protest at Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's office.
The demonstration, organized by the advocacy group "No Tech for Apartheid," lasted for 10 hours.
Protesters held signs with messages like "Googlers against Genocide" and "No Tech for Apartheid," referencing accusations against Israel's actions in Gaza.
The group also held protests in New York and Seattle.
Google stated that a "small number" of employees disrupted a few locations, and the protests were part of a longstanding campaign by external organizations.
The company did not confirm any involvement from its employees in the protests.
Google has terminated the employment of 28 employees following investigations prompted by their refusal to leave company premises.
Law enforcement was involved to ensure office safety.
Google provides cloud computing services to numerous governments, including Israel.