Google has terminated 28 employees for staging a protest in an office space for hours against the company’s contract with the Israeli government. The decision came after internal investigations, with more investigations underway that could result in additional measures, according to a Google spokesperson on Thursday. A group called “No Tech for Apartheid” took over the office of Google Cloud storage service manager Thomas Kurian in Sunnyvale, California. They occupied the space for ten hours, leading to the arrest of several Google employees as shown in video recordings shared online.
Similar protests occurred in New York and Seattle. Google referred to the protesters as a “small number” of employees disrupting operations at multiple Google locations. The protests are part of a long-term campaign by organizations and individuals mostly not affiliated with Google. The activists were against the collaboration between technology giants Google and Amazon with the Israeli government, totaling $1.2 billion. They cited a Time magazine report in April that mentioned Google billing over $1 million to the Israeli Defense Ministry for consulting services in a draft contract.
A spokesperson from No Tech for Apartheid said they are disappointed by Google’s decision to fire their fellow workers who dared to speak out against unjust practices by their employer. They stated that they will continue their fight until there is accountability and transparency from all tech companies working with Israel’s illegal settlements and military occupation of Palestine.
Google’s response has been met with criticism from both activists and human rights advocates who argue that it is not enough to condemn specific practices but rather necessary to take action by discontinuing or canceling contracts that support oppressive regimes or violate human rights principles.
The firing of these employees will only serve as an example of how companies can silence dissenters while still making profits off of unethical practices. It is time for tech companies like Google to take responsibility for their actions and make changes towards social justice, equity, and human rights respect.