18. This is the number of people arrested for demonstrating in front of the Microsoft campus on August 20. They protested against a company contract concluding with the Israeli army, which allows you to use the first technologies.
Among these people are a Microsoft employee, as reported by the American media The Verge. It is Anna Hattie, software engineer within the cloud and the AI of the company. Other employees, previous and current, have also been arrested, said not Azure for Apartheid, a group that mobilizes against Microsoft contracts with Israel.
Vaniya Agrawal is one of them. While Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary in April, it had interrupted Bill Gates and two other CEO of the company, Satya Nadella and Steve Ballmer, who expressed themselves on stage. Then, the company decided to immediately end its contract, despite the two -week warning it had put before this incident.
Vandalism acts
Microsoft criticizes protesters for having been aggressive against the police on August 20, while the previous day, they left without problem when the police informed them that it was forbidden to prove it in private property.
“The group has returned and has been dedicated to acts of vandalism and material damage. They also interrupted, harassed and swept tables and tents belonging to small local businesses during a farmers market organized at the time of lunch for employees,” a Komo News spokesman.
Keep in mind that this is not the first time that employees have been arrested after participating in one of their demonstrations. In addition to Microsoft, Google is also worried, since it has also signed a contract with the Israeli government for the use of its cloud service. In April 2024, employees had been arrested after demonstrating in the company’s offices. They were subsequently fired.
Source: BFM TV
