Yesterday, Microsoft selected to completely and fully discriminate towards a complete nation, a complete folks, and a whole neighborhood by blocking all staff from sending any outbound e mail containing the phrases “Palestine”, “Gaza”, “genocide”, or “apartheid”. Microsoft leaders justified this blatant censorship by saying it was to forestall you from receiving emails like the e-mail that you’re studying proper now. Even although Microsoft SLT are conscious that this “quick time period resolution” is definitely bypassable, as this e mail clearly proves, Microsoft nonetheless doubled down, insisted on not rolling again the coverage, and determined to proceed concentrating on and repressing their Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied employees. They refused to revoke this censorship tactic, regardless of its potential illegality, dozens of staff expressing how racist of a call it was, and even leaders admitting they see how it may be perceived as discriminatory and focused. This additional proves how little Microsoft values Palestinian lives and Palestinian struggling.
As a Palestinian employee, I’m fed up with the best way our folks have been handled by this firm. I’m sending this e mail as a message to Microsoft leaders: the price of attempting to silence all voices that dare to humanize Palestinians is way greater than merely listening to the considerations of your staff. Had this ineffective and discriminatory coverage been revoked, as I attempted to request quite a few occasions by way of so-called “correct channels”[1][2], I’d not be sending you all this e mail.
Despite claiming to have “heard considerations from our staff and the general public concerning Microsoft applied sciences utilized by the Israeli navy to focus on civilians or trigger hurt within the battle in Gaza” in a press release riddled with lies, admissions, and absurd justifications, Microsoft has proven that they’re completely tired of listening to what now we have to say.
Microsoft claims that they “present many avenues for all voices to be heard”. However, every time we attempt to talk about something substantial about divesting from genocide within the “accredited channels”, employees are retaliated towards, doxxed, or silenced. Microsoft has deleted related worker questions in AMAs with executives and shut down Viva Engage posts in devoted channels for asking SLT questions. Managers have warned outspoken directs to remain quiet and have even overtly retaliated towards them. When my neighborhood tries to flag points and considerations to HR/GER/WIT, now we have been met with racist outcomes with double requirements. Throughout all this, Microsoft has despatched a transparent message to their staff: There aren’t any correct channels at Microsoft to specific your considerations, disagreements, and even questions on how Microsoft is utilizing your labor to kill Palestinian infants.
Over this previous week, Microsoft has proven their true face, brutalizing, detaining, firing, pepper spraying, threatening and insulting employees and former employees protesting at Microsoft Build. This e mail censorship is just the most recent instance in a protracted record of latest excessive and outrageous escalations by Microsoft towards my neighborhood. Enough is sufficient.
It has turn out to be clear that Microsoft won’t hearken to us out of the goodness of their hearts.
Microsoft won’t change their stance simply because it’s the ethical and even authorized factor to do. Microsoft will solely divest from genocide as soon as it turns into dearer for them to kill Palestinians than not. Right now, Microsoft makes some huge cash from genocide-profiteering, so we should make assist for genocide much more costly.
The scenario in Palestine is extra pressing by the minute. More and extra Palestinians are being killed of hunger below the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)‘s bombing marketing campaign, invasion, and siege that has martyred an estimated 400,000 Palestinians. The IOF have kidnapped over 16,000 Palestinians and positioned them in torture and rape camps. 1.93 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, and over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced within the West Bank.
While a hostile work surroundings is tough, it can not evaluate to the horrors going down in Palestine – horrors that we as Microsoft staff are complicit in. These futile makes an attempt to silence our neighborhood, whereas painful at occasions, are proof that the strain we’re making use of is working. This will not be the time for child steps or gradual progress. Starving infants can not wait any longer. We, as an organization of over 200,000 staff, are offering the technological spine for Israel’s genocidal warfare machine in Palestinian. We, as staff of this firm, have a duty to finish our employer’s complicity on this AI-assisted genocide! Now is the time to escalate towards Microsoft and finish this Microsoft-powered genocide!
I’m calling on each worker of conscience to:
Sign No Azure for Apartheid’s petition calling for a termination of all Microsoft contracts with the Israeli navy and authorities: https://noaa.cc/petition
Strongly take into account whether or not you wish to keep within the firm and battle for change from inside, or if you wish to depart and cease contributing labor to genocide.
If you select to depart Microsoft to not be complicit in genocide, don’t go quietly. The No Azure for Apartheid marketing campaign is prepared that will help you make an impression in your approach out for Palestine, and we can even do our greatest to supply you assist earlier than leaving. Reach out to us expressing your curiosity to depart right here.
If you select to remain, proceed to battle from the within to finish Microsoft’s, and your personal, complicity in warfare crimes, be a part of the No Azure for Apartheid marketing campaign. If you might be frightened about being public along with your affiliation, relaxation assured that as a worker-led grassroots motion, now we have members with all ranges of anonymity and threat stage. Some of our members are publicly seen and can even publicly confront our war-criminal executives, akin to Satya Nadella, Mustafa Suleyman, and Jay Parikh at main Microsoft occasions just like the fiftieth Anniversary celebration and Microsoft Build. Other members select to remain fully nameless and nonetheless contribute to the crucial work of the marketing campaign. There is room for everybody: https://noaa.cc/be a part of
While I do perceive that as Microsoft staff, we can not totally boycott Microsoft, most of us can deal with the precedence targets set by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) motion, which lately set Microsoft as a precedence goal. The most important goal of the boycott is Microsoft Gaming, particularly X-Box. We may encourage our family and friends to boycott Microsoft the place potential.
To Microsoft Senior Leadership workforce particularly:You can not silence Palestine.You can not silence Gaza.You can not conceal your involvement in genocide and apartheid.
Fre e PalestineNisreen Jaradat
