Microsoft workers and allies mark start of Return to Office with protests and call to cut ties with Israel’s government

REDMOND, WA – On Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, from 8:30AM to 10:30AM during morning rush hour, Microsoft workers and community members picketed at the company’s Redmond campus demanding that Microsoft cut ties with Israel.

Workers returning to office encountered the picketers who were gathered at four different locations: near the 520 highway exit, Redmond Technology Station, the Common Transit Center, and on 154th PL NE and NE 45th street on the north side of the Microsoft campus.

The picketers at each location later converged at the Microsoft pedestrian bridge during the lunch hour. After converging, protesters held a rally urging Microsoft workers passing by to speak up against Microsoft’s complicity.

Taking place on the first week of Microsoft’s unpopular return to office policy, this protest is the latest in a growing series of expressions of dissent by tech workers against unethical contracts and worsening working conditions.

“We are here to remind Microsoft workers as they return to campus that we can no longer stay silent and must come together to take action against Microsoft’s profiteering from Israel’s genocide and ICE’s violence,” shared Abdo Mohamed, an organizer with No Azure for Apartheid. Mohamed added “We are also here to remind executives that as long as they continue to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military and government, we will continue to escalate.”

Picketers carried signs reading “No Cloud or AI for Genocide”, reiterating workers’ longstanding demands for Microsoft to discontinue the provision of cloud, AI and other tech services to the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Protesters emphasized that although Microsoft cancelled one contract with Israel’s infamous Unit 8200, more divestment is necessary: the company continues to provide an extensive portfolio of services to the Israeli military, including more than 635 individual subscriptions. Among these subscriptions are contracts to provide services to units such as the Israeli military’s central computing unit (Mamram), Air Force’s Ofek Unit, and army units that manage the population registry and movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Another sign stated “No Israel, No ICE, We Demand Full Divestment”, evoking calls by tech workers for the cancellation of all company contracts with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The renewed calls come in response to recent reports by The Guardian and +972 Magazine exposing ICE’s surging reliance on Microsoft technology. Additionally, demonstrators sought to dispel the myth of the so-called “ceasefire”, which had been violated by the IOF more than 1,600 times, killing at least 601 Palestinians in its ongoing genocide in Gaza.

At the pedestrian bridge rally, participants used chalk to write slogans urging for divestment and unfurled three banners from the bridge that read “Microsoft Kills, Workers Unite”, “Cut All Ties. No Israel. No ICE”, and “MICROSOFT POWERS GENOCIDE”. Protesters further transformed the bridge by setting up a vigil where ribbons listing Palestinian martyrs’ names were tied to the bridge railing, poppies were planted, and picket signs were placed along the length of the bridge. During the speeches, speakers echoed the protest demands and called for other workers to take action, while others handed out flyers highlighting Microsoft’s complicity. Protesters also circulated a disorientation guide to Microsoft workers, a booklet to educate workers on the history of the worker and community resistance to Microsoft’s ties with Israel along with data regarding the extent of these ties.

No Azure for Apartheid will continue to build this growing movement and will be relentless in its campaign against Microsoft’s profiteering from Israel’s genocide until the company meets our core demands:

IOF off Azure: End Microsoft’s complicity in Israeli genocide and apartheid by terminating all Azure contracts and partnerships with the Israeli military and government.
Disclose all ties: Make all ties to the Israeli state, military, and tech industry publicly known, including weapons manufacturers and contractors. Conduct a transparent and independent audit of Microsoft’s technology contracts, services, and investments.
Call for a ceasefire: Honor the demands of over 1,000 employees who signed a petition calling on Microsoft’s leadership to publicly endorse an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Protect employees: Ensure the safety of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied employees by protecting pro-Palestinian speech, actions, and fundraising initiatives on internal company platforms.