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Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

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Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#91

Post by x-egghead »

CommanderData wrote: post #58
NeverFade wrote: post #9

They didn't just "protest" their company's work with Israel. They took over company offices, including the office of Google Cloud CEO in Sunnyvale, and refused to vacate them for 9+ hours.

Historically civil rights protest movement have been disruptive. Protesting a genocide arguably be even more disruptive. - Stonewall Riots (1969) - Soweto Uprising (1976) - Tiananmen Square protests (1989) - Women's Suffrage Movement - Anti-Apartheid Protests in South Africa US politician are hostages, opposing Israel on the political stage puts your life at risk.

That the rich digerati have taken up the cause of the ongoing Palestinian man-made famine and genocide diverges from actions of similar demographics in the past. The genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia received little notice in the global press and received little global action. This is positive progress. Even if the effect of an individual protest causes no direct change, it is important voices are heard and directed toward the political class and the owners of capital who buy influence over the political class. Unfortunately though, far-right Christian fundamentalists hold too much clout in America for mystical theological reasons and will never chide Israel for any behavior, no matter how abhorrent.

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#92

Post by tsimionescu »

arrowsmith wrote: post #68
tsimionescu wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> the ICJ has found there is a possible case for this This is not true, and is based on a misreading of the ICJ's judgement and of the relevant law. https://rozenberg.substack.com/p/lawyers-letter-based-on-err...

That is a lie. Here are the explicit findings:

> 72. In these circumstances, the Court considers that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further before the Court renders its final judgment.

> 73. The Court recalls Israel’s statement that it has taken certain steps to address and alleviate the conditions faced by the population in the Gaza Strip. The Court further notes that the Attorney General of Israel recently stated that a call for intentional harm to civilians may amount to a criminal offence, including that of incitement, and that several such cases are being examined by Israeli law enforcement authorities. While steps such as these are to be encouraged, they are insufficient to remove the risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused before the Court issues its final decision in the case.

> 74. In light of the considerations set out above, the Court considers that there is urgency, in the sense that there is a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused to the rights found by the Court to be plausible, before it gives its final decision.

Basically, based on the facts on the harm coming to civilians in Gaza, and on reports of genocidal rhetoric being used in Israel and investigated by Israeli authorities, they find that there is a real and urgent risk that the citizens of Gaza will be subject to genocide.

This is not in any way based on the simple existence of an abstract right to be protected from genocide. It is about finding that there is a real, urgent, risk of genocide happening before the ICJ can issue a final decision.

[0] https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192...

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#93

Post by givemeethekeys »

I can see both sides: Yes, Google offices are private property. Yes, Google is an American company - if Google's employees don't agree with an American company serving America and its allies - Israel has been an ally for a long time - then, they should leave for more agreeable pastures. They can even remove Google from their resume once they've found a better resume brand.

However, If I were an employee at Google, and my company had begun serving DoD / IDF against my wishes - then, I would have a better chance of changing this from inside the company than from outside. So, speaking out internally against taking on undesirable customers seems like a more effective tactic than quitting.

But, by protesting in the way they did, they've likely ensured that they will no longer be inside the company.

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#95

Post by maximinus_thrax »

sdenton4 wrote: post #20
NeverFade wrote: post #9

They didn't just "protest" their company's work with Israel. They took over company offices, including the office of Google Cloud CEO in Sunnyvale, and refused to vacate them for 9+ hours.

Yes... That's what protest looks like.

No.. that's what a stupid and illegal protest looks like. You can peacefully protest in public as much as you want, it's your right under the first amendment. This does not extend into private property. If you don't have permission from the property owner, that's no longer a protest, that's trespassing. One could argue that the whole thing is a meta-protest (along with the arrest and the media coverage) which would be more or less correct, but that's not what you're arguing.

See https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights

Anyway, if the protestors actually believe they changed minds with this, I will forever be disappointed by Google's hiring practices.

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#96

Post by xyst »

I wonder what it would take to insert the equivalent of a “thermal vent” into the ”all-encompassing cloud solution” for the Israeli government. Maybe give the Israeli government private cloud the “us-east1” treatment during critical Israeli milops.

Losing a $1.2B contract for Amazon or Google due to subterfuge is nothing.

Wonder how the US government would respond though, especially since Israeli government is one of their most highly regarded allies (highest amount of foreign aide, critical trade partners). Would the people who inserted exploit into Project Nimbus be prosecuted for espionage?

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#97

Post by xyst »

givemeethekeys wrote: post #93

I can see both sides: Yes, Google offices are private property. Yes, Google is an American company - if Google's employees don't agree with an American company serving America and its allies - Israel has been an ally for a long time - then, they should leave for more agreeable pastures. They can even remove Google from their resume once they've found a better resume brand. However, If I were an employee at Google, an…

Are you suggesting whistleblowing? Or inserting exploits into the project?

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#99

Post by cad31 »

JamesAdir wrote: post #55
gorbot wrote: post #14

They said nimbus was for civilian use only, then time publishes an article saying they are dealing with the IDF directly and have a discount given that Nimbus exists… https://time.com/6966102/google-contract-israel-defense-mini...

The same contract the exists between CIA and aws for it's top secret regions. I always ponder why people protest against something that happens thousands of miles from their homes, while the same activity occurs in their own country.

It is because the CIA is not using AI to create strike target lists.

Re: Google workers arrested after protesting company's work with Israel

#100

Post by tsimionescu »

mrtesthah wrote: post #76
tsimionescu wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As can be seen here, they did punish these protesters. And the House has just passed a resolution saying that the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is antisemitic. Many states, such as Texas, require written commitments from all state employees that they will not engage in the BDS movement or other forms of protest against Israel. How are these not a punishment for deviance from the desired p…

You can see other free-speech-related court cases fought by Palestine Legal. I personally don’t think the “from the river…” slogan should be outlawed , being speech, but it does indeed eliminate the country of Israel by referring to its land as “Palestine”.

The USA supports the creation of two countries in that area: Israel, with its current borders minus the colonies it has illegally established in the West Bank, and Palestine, which would include the Gaza strip and the West Bank (in its full 1947 territory, minus the illegal Israeli colonies).

The country of Palestine would then stretch from the river (in the West Bank) to the sea (in Gaza).

Of course, it is also sometimes used to call for the dissolution of the state of Israel. Even that is not per se antisemitic (not that I suport this - Israel has won it's right to exist). There are just as many Jewish people living outside of Israel as inside.

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