Protesters infiltrated the Microsoft building in Redmond where CEO Satya Nadella and other top executives have their offices Tuesday afternoon, occupying the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith and resisting security guards before being removed and arrested by police.
The group locked arms in the meeting area of Smith’s office, taped a mock court summons to a large monitor nearby, and livestreamed their protest on Twitch as they chanted, “Free Palestine.”
The Verge reported that Building 34 was temporarily locked down because of the protest.
It wasn’t immediately clear how protesters made it past security. One of the group’s leaders, Hossam Nasr, looked significantly different from the past with a new haircut and mustache.
On the livestream, protesters could be seen piling chairs and a table in front of the door as others worked to hang a large banner in the office window. A woman speaking to the camera said the group was demanding talks with Microsoft leadership.
Seven protesters were arrested for trespassing and obstruction inside the office, with additional charges for resisting arrest, according to the Redmond Police Department. About 20 additional protesters outside the building dispersed without incident when asked, police said.
It was the latest escalation by the group No Azure for Apartheid, which has been protesting Microsoft’s tech contracts since last year, arguing that the company’s cloud and AI tools are being used in human rights abuses against Palestinians in Gaza.
In a press release and video posted on X, the group said it was made up of “Microsoft employees and other demonstrators” and that its goal Tuesday was to re-establish a “liberated zone” inside the building, which it said it was renaming the “Mai Ubeid Building” in honor of a Palestinian software engineer killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The infiltration and occupation of Smith’s office followed a turbulent week on Microsoft’s campus. Last Wednesday, 20 people were arrested after demonstrators occupied a plaza at the company’s East Campus, poured red paint on a Microsoft sign, and blocked a nearby bridge.
Protesters even took to Lake Washington in kayaks on Sunday, where they gathered in front of the waterside homes of Smith and Nadella, chanting and displaying large banners which read, “Microsoft Kills Kids” and “Satya + Brad = War Criminals.”
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Microsoft has requested help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in tracking protests, starting after a company 50th anniversary event was interrupted on campus. Microsoft reportedly contacted the FBI asking for any intelligence on pro-Palestinian protests that may be targeting the company.
We’ve contacted Microsoft for comment on the latest events and are awaiting a statement.
The company has said it supports political expression but does not allow disruptive demonstrations on its private property. It has also pledged to uphold human rights standards in its contracts and announced a review of reports that its Azure cloud platform is used in the surveillance of Palestinians.
Protesters, however, continue to demand that Microsoft sever all ties with Israel, saying the company’s technology is contributing to human rights abuses in Gaza.
