New Delhi, October 27: Microsoft has reportedly fired two employees who organised an unauthorised vigil at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. As per reports, the protest was held to honour Palestinians killed in Gaza during the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Microsoft has gone as far as to dismiss employees who held a vigil allegedly supporting Palestine.

As per a report of The Associated Press, Microsoft has fired employees who organised a protest event for Palestinians who lost their lives in Gaza. Microsoft has dismissed two employees who arranged an unofficial memorial at the company's headquarters to remember Palestinians who died in Gaza amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas. According to a report of Money Control, the employees who were sacked are Abdo Mohamed and Hossam Nasr. Tech Layoffs in October 2024: Meta, Nokia, Intel, Kaspersky and Others Announce Layoffs of Hundreds of Employees This Month Amid Restructuring and Cost Saving.

The two employees reportedly mentioned that they were fired over the phone call late on Thursday. The call came after few hours after they had organised a lunchtime event allegedly gathering at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington. These employees were reportedly part of a group called “No Azure for Apartheid,” which has been against Microsoft selling its cloud-computing services to the Israeli government. However, they argued that the event they held on Thursday was much like other Microsoft-sanctioned employee campaigns for people in need.

On Friday, Microsoft reportedly announced that it has terminated the employment of certain employees in compliance with internal policy and did not share any other specific details. Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist, reportedly stated "We have so many community members within Microsoft who have lost family, lost friends or loved ones.” Pfizer Layoffs: US-Based Pharmaceutical Giant Lays Off Around 75 Employees in North Carolina Amid Cost-Cutting Measures.

Abdo Mohamed is from Egypt and reportedly stated that he needs to secure a new job within the next two months. It is crucial for him because he must transfer his work visa to prevent the possibility of being deported. Hossam Nasr, who was raised in Egypt and graduated from Harvard University in 2021, is allegedly involved as a co-organiser of Harvard Alumni for Palestine. He reportedly explained that the aim of the vigil they organised was to pay tribute to the victims of what he described as the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2024 10:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).