On August 20, 2025, tensions between technology giant Microsoft and a coalition of its current and former employees reached a dramatic crescendo at the company’s Redmond, Washington headquarters. Eighteen people—many of them Microsoft workers—were arrested during a second day of heated pro-Palestinian protests, as reported by ABC News, Komonews, and other outlets. The protests, organized by the group No Azure for Apartheid, were sparked by Microsoft’s contracts to supply artificial intelligence and cloud technology to the Israeli military, a relationship that has drawn mounting scrutiny over alleged human rights implications.
The events unfolded quickly and with intensity. After a peaceful demonstration on August 19 that ended without incident, protesters returned the following day, setting up what they called a “Liberation Zone” in Microsoft’s East Campus Plaza—renamed by the group as the Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza. According to No Azure for Apartheid’s Instagram statement, demonstrators erected tents, displayed art honoring Palestinian martyrs, and delivered speeches denouncing Microsoft’s “complicity in the surveillance and genocide of Palestinians.”
But by 12:15 pm, the protest escalated. Redmond police, responding to reports of property damage and disruption, ordered the group to disperse. According to police spokesperson Jill Green, officers warned, “Please leave or you will be arrested.” When protesters refused, police moved in. Authorities claim some demonstrators resisted, became aggressive, and committed acts of vandalism, including pouring red paint over the iconic Microsoft sign and blocking a pedestrian bridge with stolen tables and chairs from a nearby farmer’s market. Police also allege that protesters used furniture to create barriers, further complicating efforts to clear the area.
The arrests were swift. Eighteen individuals were detained on charges ranging from trespassing and resisting arrest to obstruction and malicious mischief. The Redmond Police Department stated, “After initially attempting to trespass the protestors, they resisted and became aggressive.” Despite the chaos, officials confirmed that no injuries were reported during the arrests.
No Azure for Apartheid painted a very different picture of the day’s events. In a post published on August 21, the group accused Microsoft and police of “the brutal mass arrest of 18 protestors, chemical weapons, and physical violence.” The statement claimed, “Current workers, former workers, and community members were hog-tied, violently dragged around, and pepper-sprayed in a repressive escalation.” The group’s message was defiant: “Despite today’s brutal repression, let us be clear: no violence will successfully shut down escalation efforts against Microsoft’s complicity in war crimes. The Worker Intifada is an answer to Gaza’s call for action, and so The Worker Intifada will live on.”
The protests are the latest flashpoint in a long-simmering dispute over Microsoft’s business with Israel. The No Azure for Apartheid movement, which describes itself as “a movement of Microsoft workers demanding that Microsoft end its direct and indirect complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide,” has been vocal in its demands. The group wants Microsoft to cut all ties with Israel, pay reparations to Palestinians, end what it calls the “discrimination against workers,” and conduct an independent audit to ensure its products are not used in human rights violations. Over 2,000 Microsoft employees have signed a petition supporting these demands.
Microsoft, for its part, has responded with a series of public statements emphasizing its commitment to human rights and its contractual standards. In a statement to Komonews, a spokesperson said, “As we have made clear, Microsoft is committed to its human rights standards and contractual terms of service, including in the Middle East.” The company added, “Microsoft will continue to do the hard work needed to uphold its human rights standards in the Middle East, while supporting and taking clear steps to address unlawful actions that damage property, disrupt business, or that threaten and harm others.”
The controversy intensified after reports by The Guardian and the Associated Press revealed that Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform had been used by the Israeli military for surveillance and intelligence operations, particularly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel. According to the Associated Press, military use of Microsoft’s commercial AI products by Israeli forces increased nearly 200-fold after the conflict escalated, with Azure being used to transcribe, translate, and process intelligence from mass surveillance operations.
Microsoft has acknowledged the military applications of its technology. In May 2025, the company conducted an internal review in response to claims that its Azure and AI services were being used to target civilians or cause harm in Gaza. Microsoft stated, “Our review found no evidence to date that these technologies have been used to target or harm people in the ongoing Gaza conflict.” However, the details of that internal review were not made public, and No Azure for Apartheid has rejected the company’s findings, calling Microsoft’s investigations “sham” and its public relations efforts “a facade.”
Amid mounting pressure, Microsoft announced last week that it had hired the law firm Covington & Burling to conduct a thorough and independent review of new allegations regarding the use of its Azure platform in Israel. The company said, “Microsoft’s standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage,” and promised to make the findings of the review public once completed. “The report raises precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The stakes are high for both sides. For Microsoft, the controversy threatens its reputation as a technology leader committed to ethical standards and responsible innovation. For the No Azure for Apartheid movement and its supporters, the protests are a matter of moral urgency, a stand against what they see as corporate complicity in human rights abuses. As one protester’s sign read, “Microsoft: Stop Powering Apartheid.”
This week’s arrests come after a series of escalating confrontations between the company and its employees. Earlier in 2025, Microsoft terminated three workers for disrupting company events to protest the Israeli contracts—one during CEO Satya Nadella’s speech and two others during the corporation’s 50th anniversary celebration. These firings, coupled with the company’s ongoing business with Israel, have fueled further anger and activism among Microsoft’s workforce.
The broader debate over tech companies’ responsibilities in global conflicts shows no signs of abating. Worker-led activism at Microsoft echoes similar movements at other Silicon Valley giants, where employees have challenged leadership over military contracts, surveillance technology, and ethical standards. Whether Microsoft’s independent review will satisfy its critics—or simply deepen the divide—remains to be seen. For now, the company stands at the center of a storm, balancing its business interests, employee activism, and the broader call for corporate accountability in a world where technology and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined.
With investigations ongoing and emotions running high, the outcome of this conflict could set an important precedent for how tech companies navigate the complex landscape of ethics, business, and human rights in the years ahead.
