Google took drastic action, terminating the employment of over two dozen employees who participated in sit-in protests denouncing the tech giant’s $1.2 billion contract with Israel.

Protesters, bearing signs declaring “No more genocide for profit,” staged demonstrations across various Google offices in Seattle, New York, and California. Among the demonstrators, nine individuals were arrested after staging a prolonged sit-in at Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office. NBC News reported that Google confirmed the termination of 28 employees linked to the protests.

Google condemned the disruptive behavior, emphasizing that impeding other employees’ work and obstructing access to facilities violated company policies and was deemed unacceptable. The company further explained its actions, stating that law enforcement intervention was necessary to ensure office safety after repeated requests for protesters to vacate the premises were ignored.

The protest was orchestrated by the group No Tech for Apartheid, which accused Google of attempting to dismiss the protesters’ grievances by resorting to terminations. According to NBC News, the group dismissed Google’s justification for the firings as a mere excuse to evade addressing their concerns directly.

The contentious contract, known as Project Nimbus, enables the Israeli government to utilize cloud and artificial intelligence services for defense purposes, as outlined by Israel’s Government Procurement Administration. Initiated in 2019, the project is described as a “multi-year, large-scale flagship project.”

Despite the uproar and termination of employees, No Tech for Apartheid remained silent in response to inquiries from the DCNF regarding the developments.

WATCH