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Twenty people were ultimately reported arrested on Microsoft’s East Campus in Redmond, Washington, on August 20, 2025, during a protest over the company’s technology relationships with Israel. Early reports put the number at 18; later reporting updated it to 20. Microsoft and protest organizers offered sharply different accounts of the confrontation, and Microsoft’s subsequent review and service restrictions added important context to the dispute.
What happened at Microsoft’s Redmond campus
The August 20 demonstration was organized by No Azure for Apartheid, a group seeking to end Microsoft’s technology ties with the Israeli government and military. It followed a temporary encampment and protest at the campus the previous day. Redmond police were dispatched at about 12:15 p.m., according to GeekWire’s account.
Reports said protesters poured red paint on a large Microsoft sign and arranged tables and chairs as a barrier near a pedestrian bridge. They remained after police warned them to leave. Microsoft said the demonstration disrupted a lunchtime farmers’ market for employees and affected local businesses operating there. Redmond police were joined by Washington State Patrol, Bellevue Police and Kirkland Police, GeekWire reported.
Authorities cited trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and obstruction among the charges. Arrest reports establish that people were taken into custody; they do not establish that every allegation was proven in court or indicate the eventual outcome of each case.
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Why protesters targeted Microsoft
No Azure for Apartheid alleged that Microsoft cloud, AI and other technology was being used in Israeli surveillance and military operations affecting Palestinians. The group called on Microsoft to sever its ties with the Israeli government and military. Those claims drew in part on reporting by The Guardian and related coverage.
The allegations were contested, and claims about particular military operations should not be treated as established simply because they were made at the protest. Microsoft had announced an independent review of allegations concerning Azure. The company’s later account of that review said it found evidence supporting elements of The Guardian’s reporting, including Israeli Ministry of Defense consumption of Azure storage in the Netherlands and use of AI services. Microsoft also said the review did not establish that it had provided technology to facilitate mass surveillance.
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Why the count changed from 18 to 20
Initial reporting based on the police account said 18 people were arrested. Microsoft and later GeekWire reporting put the final count at 20. The Associated Press’s contemporaneous account used the earlier figure; the subsequent count was updated in GeekWire’s follow-up.
Microsoft and protesters disputed the confrontation
Microsoft’s account
Microsoft described the protest as destructive and aggressive, citing vandalism, property damage and disruption of the farmers’ market. The company said it supports political expression but does not permit demonstrations on its private campuses. It also said it remained committed to human-rights standards while reviewing the allegations about Azure, according to its statements reported by GeekWire.
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Organizers’ account and police response
Organizers argued that Microsoft was more concerned about paint and disrupted business activity than about the alleged use of its technology in Gaza. They also alleged police brutality. Hossam Nasr said he was violently tackled and injured; another protester said he was struck with pepper balls. Redmond police confirmed that pepper balls were used, but said no injuries had been reported and that, at the time of the follow-up report, the department had not received claims from protesters. The available accounts do not resolve the competing descriptions of the force used or independently establish each injury allegation.
Were the 20 people Microsoft employees?
No. Microsoft said the arrested group included one current employee and three former employees; almost all of the others had never worked for the company. Current and former Microsoft workers participated in the broader campaign, but describing all 20 arrested people as Microsoft employees would be inaccurate.
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What Microsoft’s later review and restrictions changed
Microsoft retained Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an external review, announced August 15, 2025. In a summary published later, Microsoft said the review found evidence supporting elements of The Guardian’s reporting about an Israeli Ministry of Defense unit’s use of Azure storage and AI services. On September 25, 2025, Microsoft said it had ceased and disabled specified subscriptions and services used by that unit, including particular cloud-storage and AI services. The company said it did not access customer content during its review.
This was a restriction of specified services, not a complete break with Israel. Microsoft said it continued to provide other software, professional services, Azure and Azure AI services to Israel, along with cybersecurity support. Its summary of the external investigation describes both the findings and the limits of the action.
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The protest campaign continued
The August 20 arrests were part of a continuing campaign. On August 26, seven current and former workers were arrested after a separate sit-in inside Microsoft President Brad Smith’s office, according to GeekWire. The office sit-in was a separate event from the East Campus protest.
The August 20 arrests took place on Microsoft property, where the company said demonstrations were not permitted. Protesters framed their actions as political organizing and civil disobedience. Those competing positions help explain the dispute, but neither determines the legal outcome of the individual charges.
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