Microsoft Protest Escalates As Seven Arrested, Occupying President's Office Over Israel Ties

(RTTNews) - Police arrested seven people, including current and former employees, after they occupied the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith at the company's Redmond, Washington, headquarters.

The action was part of ongoing demonstrations by the activist group No Azure for Apartheid, which opposes Microsoft's contracts with Israel amid the ongoing Gaza war.

The group has accused Microsoft of enabling surveillance and military operations through its Azure cloud platform. Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that the Israeli Defense Forces used Azure to store phone call data from Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft has denied any violations of its policies, hiring an outside law firm to review the claims.

Tuesday's confrontation was livestreamed on Twitch, showing protesters inside Smith's office before police intervened. Smith later confirmed that two of the seven arrested were Microsoft employees and criticized the group for planting hidden cell phones and refusing to leave when asked. "That's not OK," he told reporters, while noting the company would consider disciplinary action against staff who participated.

This was the second major disruption in a week, following 18 arrests during a similar protest at Microsoft's campus. Since April, the group has repeatedly interrupted company events, including CEO Satya Nadella's speeches and Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration. Their demands include severing all ties with Israel and paying reparations to Palestinians.

The protests reflect growing tensions over the role of U.S. tech giants in global defense work. Google, which also faces backlash over contracts with Israel, fired 28 employees last year for staging similar demonstrations.

Smith said Microsoft remains committed to ethical use of its technology and pledged transparency once its investigation is complete, stressing that its terms of service forbid misuse.