Microsoft HQ Protesters Arrested

Drama

21 August 2025 10:56

Tensions escalated at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters on Tuesday, August 20, as 18 individuals were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest organized by the activist group No Azure for Apartheid. The demonstration, which targeted Microsoft’s business ties with Israel, entered its second day with protesters re-establishing what they call a “Liberation Zone” in the company’s East Campus Plaza.

The group, composed of current and former Microsoft employees alongside community activists, renamed the protest site the “Martyred Palestinian Children's Plaza.” According to an Instagram post by No Azure for Apartheid on Wednesday, the group had "set up tents, displayed art to honor Palestinian martyrs, and gave speeches about Microsoft's complicity in the surveillance and genocide of Palestinians."

But just after noon on Tuesday, the demonstration turned confrontational. Protesters allege that Microsoft, in coordination with Redmond police, responded with force. "The brutal mass arrest of 18 protestors, chemical weapons, and physical violence," were used against what they described as "peaceful opposition of war crimes," according to the Instagram statement.

Protesters further claimed that “current workers, former workers, and community members were hog-tied, violently dragged around, and pepper-sprayed in a repressive escalation.” They accused both Microsoft and Redmond Police of choosing "to dehumanize, brutalize, and criminalize people of conscience for opposing Microsoft's actual war crimes."

Despite the arrests, the group vowed to continue its campaign, declaring, “The Worker Intifada is an answer to Gaza's call for action, and so The Worker Intifada will live on.”

Redmond Police confirmed the arrests in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on August 21. The department said officers initially attempted to trespass demonstrators from the campus, but that protesters “resisted and became aggressive.”

Authorities allege that some activists poured paint on Microsoft signage and the surrounding area, while others blocked a pedestrian bridge and used “stolen tables and chairs from vendors to form a barrier.”

The 18 individuals were arrested on “multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest, and obstruction,” according to police. They also stated that “no injuries were reported.”

More:Luminosity Gaming Acquired by Vertiqal Studios

Tags: Microsoft

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake Submit news

Related news

View All

Microsoft to Push Xbox More

Microsoft is reportedly demanding higher profitability from its Xbox division, setting a goal that far exceeds industry norms. According to...

Business

Oct 23, 2025

Microsoft Disables Some Services for Israel Ministry of Defence

Microsoft has announced the termination of specific Azure cloud and AI services used by Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD), following...

Drama

Sep 26, 2025

Xbox Partners with 150 Studios

Xbox is making its largest investment in Game Pass to date, according to Chris Charla, head of ID@Xbox. Speaking at...

Business

Sep 23, 2025

Microsoft Partners with LG

Xbox is expanding its reach beyond traditional gaming devices by teaming up with LG to bring Cloud Gaming (Beta) to...

Business

Sep 09, 2025

Game Pass Criticized by Devs

As Microsoft’s sweeping layoffs continue to send shockwaves through the gaming industry, the sustainability of Xbox Game Pass has once...

Drama

Jul 07, 2025