Google lays off 28 staffers over protests against company's $1.2B contract with Israel

The tech giant Google fired 28 employees for their involvement in a 10-hour sit-in at two of the tech giant's offices in California and New York City, protesting the company's ties with Israel.

In response to the Tuesday protests led by a group called No Tech For Apartheid against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with Israel, Google on Wednesday fired 28 employees accused of taking part in the protests.

"This evening, Google indiscriminately fired over two dozen workers, including those among us who did not directly participate in yesterday’s historic, bicoastal 10-hour sit-in protests," said a post on X by No Tech For Apartheid.

In a memo circulated on social media, Chris Rackow, Google's head of global security, emphasized the company's zero-tolerance policy toward the protesters' behavior.

"Behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it," it said.

"Following an investigation, today we terminated the employment of 28 employees found to be involved. We will continue to investigate and take action as needed," it added.

In response, No Tech For Apartheid condemned the move, calling it a "flagrant act of retaliation."

"This flagrant act of retaliation is a clear indication that Google values its $1.2 billion contract with the genocidal Israeli government and military more than its own workers," the group said.

About 10 hours into the protests, police arrested groups of employees in both New York and California, the group reported on X.

The protests also coincide with Israel’s continuing offensive on the Gaza Strip, which since last Oct. 7 has taken over 33,800 lives.

The firings, which occurred just hours after police detained nine employees during sit-in protests in Sunnyvale, California, and a New York office, have stirred a wave of controversy within the company and beyond.

Source: AA