The tension over the cloud-computing contract, known as Nimbus, among employees at Google and Amazon has increased since the Israel-Gaza war began in October.
The project’s critics say it will bolster the Israeli government’s surveillance of Palestinians and lead to further displacement and discrimination.
In an email statement, a Google spokesperson said the workers were fired for “physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities,” which is “a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior.”
“After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety,” the email said. “We have so far concluded individual investigations that resulted in the termination of employment for 28 employees, and will continue to investigate and take action as needed.”
The 28 fired employees, who were locked out of their work devices Tuesday evening and learned of their termination over email the next morning, said they were shocked and angered by the company’s decision.
