‘Worker intifada’ – 18 arrested at Microsoft anti-Israel protest

Protesters demanded Microsoft cut all ties with the Israeli government and IDF.

By World Israel News Staff

At least 18 people were arrested at an anti-Israel protest outside Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Wednesday, at a demonstration that saw activists rename the office park “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza.”

The protest group, made up of Microsoft employees, calls itself No Azure for Apartheid — a reference to the company’s Azure software, which protesters claim is used by the Israel Defense Forces. In a manifesto posted online, the group called for a “worker intifada.”

“We will not be cogs in the Israeli genocidal machine,” the statement read, declaring there is “only one solution: Intifada, Revolution.”

During two consecutive days of disruptive protests at Microsoft offices, activists demanded the tech giant cut all ties with the Israeli government, military, and prison services.

Participants carried signs including “No Labor for Genocide” and “Stop Starving Gaza.” Some protesters displayed mock bloody body bags, splattered red paint meant to symbolize blood, and held pictures of children killed during the conflict.

“Every single second that we wait, things are worse and worse in Palestine,” said Microsoft employee Nasreen Jaradat, 29, in an interview with far-left UK media outlet the Guardian.

“People are getting hungrier and hungrier. More and more people are being bombed and maimed. It’s time for us to escalate, however we can.”

According to the Redmond Police Department, arrests were made after protesters “resisted and became aggressive” when asked to leave the area.

“We said, ‘Please leave or you will be arrested,’ and they chose not to leave so they were detained,” police spokesperson Jill Green said.

Microsoft issued a statement denying the protesters’ claims, insisting that its technology is not being used in Israel’s war against Hamas.

“We have found no evidence to date that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza,” the company said.