Google fires 20 more employees over pro-Palestinian sit-ins

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Washington Post
23 Apr 2024 13:41
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The dismissals come days after Google's CEO advised employees in a memo against using the company as a "fight over disruptive issues or debate politics."

A person rides past the Google sign outside the Google offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Google fired approximately 20 additional employees for taking part in protests against the company's cloud computing contract with the Israeli occupation government, The Washington Post reported citing the activist group representing the workers.

This brings the total number of employees dismissed over the protests to over 50.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the terminations, stating that they followed an ongoing investigation into the protests held on April 16, which included sit-ins at the company's offices in New York City and Sunnyvale, California.

The dismissals come days after Google CEO Sundar Pichai advised employees in a memo against using the company as a "personal platform" or "fight over disruptive issues or debate politics."

Google "is attempting to quash dissent, silence its workers and reassert its power over them," pointed out Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid, a group that has been protesting against Google's and Amazon's agreements with the Israeli occupation government since 2021.

The protests outside Google offices are part of a broader wave of opposition to the US government and corporate collaborations with the Israeli occupation government and military.

On the day preceding the Google sit-ins, pro-Palestinian activists across the United States blocked highways, bridges, and airport entrances to protest the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

While Google claims that each fired employee actively disrupted its operations, the workers affirm that some of those dismissed did not even enter the company's office.

While Google has previously laid off employees for publicly criticizing the company, it has not taken such extensive action at once, The Washington Post pointed out. For years, Google has been regarded as one of the most open and free Big Tech companies in terms of office culture.