Google employees use ‘International Women’s Day’ event to criticize Israel
Google Employees Hijack International Women’s Day Event to Attack Israel
In a shocking turn of events, hundreds of Google employees used an International Women’s Day event as a platform to launch an attack on Israel and accuse Jews of victimizing themselves. Screenshots obtained by The Daily Wire reveal the extent of this disturbing behavior.
The event, which was meant to celebrate International Women’s Day, was supposed to feature on-topic audience questions submitted through an internal platform called Dory. However, instead of relevant questions, Google employees took the opportunity to submit commentary bashing Israel.
The trend was started by Google software engineer Joelle Skaf, who urged the company to ”avoid complicity in war crimes” and “stop taking money from the Israeli government.” Skaf’s comments received over 500 upvotes from fellow employees on Dory, which allows participants to upvote or downvote their colleagues’ questions.
Zaynab Hararah, a Google Risk and Compliance Senior Advisor, also joined in, accusing her colleagues of being complicit in ”the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” and victimizing themselves with “feelings of unsafety and anti-Semitism.”
Joelle Skaf started the trend by Google employees of derailing a platform to submit questions about International Women’s Day
These incidents of anti-Semitism within Google come at a time when the tech giant is already facing backlash over discriminatory behavior by its artificial intelligence product, Gemini. Critics argue that the product’s diversity-obsessed image generator, which has been labeled “anti-white,” is a result of the political biases of its creators employed by Google.
Last month, The Daily Wire reported on internal anti-Semitic incidents at Google, including instances of anti-Semitic graffiti found in their offices and a Jewish employee being assaulted by anti-Israel protesters on one of their campuses.
After Google closed the forum and deleted the “off-topic” questions, Skaf and others continued their commentary in another internal chat with over 2,200 participants, according to internal screenshots.
One anonymous employee expressed their fear as a Jewish person working at Google, stating, “We, Jewish people, are afraid at work. A large, multinational tech firm that supposedly hires the best and brightest people, and I and my Jewish colleagues have to worry about what we’ll encounter when we go to the cafeteria or if the agenda of a discussion group might be hijacked with anti-Semitic content.”
The employee added, “It’s not something I thought we’d feel in our generation, it’s something our grandparents’ generation had to deal with.”
Google employee Zaynab Hararah accused her colleagues of victimizing themselves “with feelings of unsafety and anti-Semitism.”
A Google spokeswoman confirmed the incident, condemning the ”off-topic and divisive questions.”
“We were pleased to host an event to celebrate International Women’s Day,” the spokeswoman said. “Unfortunately, before the event, a series of off-topic and divisive questions and comments were posted to internal forums. Our internal community guidelines team routinely removes divisive content that is disruptive to our workplace, and did that here.”
Other comments submitted by employees questioned how the company could celebrate International Women’s Day while working with Israel. Moe Adel, a Google software engineer, raised the issue of supporting the summit’s theme, “Her Power, Her Voice,” while ”ignoring the cries for help from Palestinian women who have been systematically deprived of their fundamental human rights.”
Fayssal Martani, another Google software engineer, criticized Gemini, the company’s AI product, for its biased responses. Martani asked if women in Gaza deserve human rights, to which the AI tool told her to “look it up online.” Martani questioned Google’s reputation and bias in its tools.
Khaled Monsoor, a Google engineer, accused the Israel Defense Forces of deliberately killing over 8,500 civilian women in Gaza, referring to it as an “open-air concentration camp.”
Several Google employees submitted questions for the company’s International Women’s Day summit that were taken down for being irrelevant to the event.
“I don’t expect much from the leadership because they’re continuing to be aligned with US foreign policy,” Monsoor wrote, drawing a parallel to IBM’s collaboration with Germany during World War II.
Many employees also expressed concerns about Project Nimbus, a cloud computing project involving the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces. They questioned whether their work at Google has contributed to the harm of Palestinians in Gaza.
The manager of Google Israel, Barak Regev, was even interrupted during a speech by an engineer who shouted that he refuses “to build technology that powers genocide, apartheid, or surveillance.” The disruptor was escorted out by security.
A Google Cloud engineer just interrupted Google Israel managing director Barak Regev at Israeli tech industry conference MindTheTech this morning in NY.
“I refuse to build technology that powers genocide!” he yelled, referring to Google’s Project Nimbus contract pic.twitter.com/vM9mMFlJRS
— Caroline Haskins (@car0linehaskins) March 4, 2024
A Google spokesperson acknowledged the disruptive behavior and stated that the employee responsible was terminated for violating company policies.
How can Google reinforce its community guidelines and implement stricter measures to prevent the spread of hate and discriminatory behavior among its employees
Ing to them as “genocidal maniacs.” This baseless accusation not only spreads hate and misinformation but also undermines the credibility of the employees representing Google.
It is deeply concerning that a company like Google, which prides itself on diversity and inclusion, has employees who use an event meant to empower women as a platform to propagate their personal biases and attack a specific country and its people. This behavior not only creates a hostile work environment but also tarnishes the reputation of Google as an inclusive and ethical company.
The incidents at Google are particularly troubling considering the rise of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide. Anti-Semitism has no place in society, and it is crucial for companies like Google to take a strong stance against such behavior and ensure the safety and well-being of all their employees, especially those who identify as Jewish.
While freedom of speech is an essential right, it should not be used as a license to spread hate or engage in discriminatory behavior. Google should reinforce its community guidelines and implement stricter measures to prevent such incidents from recurring. This includes educating employees about the consequences of their actions, promoting tolerance and understanding, and encouraging open and respectful dialogue.
Furthermore, it is essential for Google to address the concerns raised by its employees regarding its products, such as Gemini, and ensure that they do not perpetuate biases or discriminatory practices. The company must prioritize diversity and inclusion not only in its workforce but also in its technology.
In conclusion, the hijacking of an International Women’s Day event by Google employees to attack Israel and propagate anti-Semitic narratives is a disturbing and unacceptable incident. It highlights the need for companies to foster an environment of respect, tolerance, and inclusivity. Google must take immediate action to address these issues and reaffirm its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and ethical practices.
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