Overview

• Redmond police arrested seven people after a livestreamed sit-in inside Brad Smith’s office in Building 34, with charges including trespassing and obstruction and additional counts for resisting arrest.
• Organized by the No Azure for Apartheid campaign, the action involved current and former workers who demanded Microsoft cut ties with Israel and accused the company of facilitating abuses against Palestinians.
• Brad Smith held an impromptu press briefing from his office, saying two of the seven are Microsoft employees and alleging protesters blocked access and hid cell phones as crude listening devices.
• Microsoft said the building was temporarily locked down and indicated it may discipline employees involved in on-site disruptions, following a week that already included multiple arrests on campus.
• Smith acknowledged a Microsoft security staffer emailed the FBI in April seeking information on planned protests as Bloomberg reported wider contacts, and he reiterated that an independent review is probing reports of Azure’s use to store Palestinians’ call data.