Approximately 400 Apple employees have signed an open letter calling on Apple executives to “end the silence” about the suffering of Palestinians during the war in Gaza. The group also claimed that employees who expressed solidarity with Palestine were “disciplinary” or “wrongfully dismissed.”
The letter, addressed to CEO Tim Cook and members of Apple’s executive team, was published by a group called Apples 4 Ceasefire, which includes hundreds of past and present Apple employees. They said Cook cited the “loss of innocent Israeli lives” after the Oct. 7 attack, but Apple’s leadership continued to escalate violence against Palestinians in the days and months that followed. He said he did not approve. The daily death rate for Palestinian civilians in Gaza is higher than in any other major conflict of the 21st century, with more than 33,000 known casualties, including includes 13,000 children.
The Apples 4 Ceasefire movement began its campaign last week on social media and with the publication of a letter. The signatories range from retail employees to technology and operations specialists and work in Apple’s branch offices and offices around the world, including current and former employees in the United States, Scotland, Spain, Canada, and the United Kingdom. is signed.
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“This company is committed to caring and understanding not only to the suffering Palestinian community in Gaza overseas, but also to our team members and those who support them in our stores and offices,” the organization said in the letter. “It’s lacking,” he criticized Apple.
The group also claimed that Apple employees were disciplined for showing solidarity with Palestine through accessories. “In fact, anyone who dares to express support for the Palestinian people in the form of kaffiyeh, pins, bracelets, clothing, etc. has been met with countermeasures in the name of “violating commercial practices” and creating a “toxic environment.” ”, the letter said.
Mashable has reached out to Apple and Apples 4 Ceasefire for comment.
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In a podcast with US media group Palestine published last week, Apples 4 Ceasefire was criticized for allegedly wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headdress, by a Chicago-based Apple employee. Discrimination caused by discrimination is explained in detail. Employee Madrid Leiva Espinoza reportedly asked an Apple Store team leader before wearing the keffiyeh and was told she could wear it as long as it didn’t cover the Apple logo. The group said Espinoza was later fired.
Apples 4 Ceasefire supporters are planning a protest in Chicago this Saturday.
Journalist Tariq Rauf, one of the campaigners, spoke about the movement on social media, saying: “We have not received any message from the company about the loss of innocent civilian lives in Gaza.”
“People listen to this company. They follow this company’s lead. This company is known for innovating and changing entire industries. They are committed to social justice and racial equity.” “We’re always talking about how we believe in sexuality, so math is useless to me,” they continued.
Big tech companies, including Apple, have faced similar criticism about their messaging, or lack thereof, since the escalation of wars in the Middle East, prompting employees to speak out publicly.
Back in November, Apple reportedly suspended an internal Slack channel for Jewish and Muslim employees following messages about the war between Israel and Gaza. Microsoft also reportedly stopped discussing the war after an employee posted that “the company is oblivious to the overwhelming and unjust suffering of the Palestinian people.” Google is facing internal conflict over its relationship with Israel, with more than 600 employees signing an open letter objecting to Google hosting an annual conference to promote Israel’s technology industry in New York. There is. Google Cloud engineer fired carry out pro-Palestinian protests During the event, he spoke out against Project Nimbus, a controversial agreement between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government and military to provide cloud computing services to Israel. Google employees have long argued that the project would increase “systemic discrimination” against Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been criticized by consumers for reportedly suppressing information during the Gaza war. Meta was accused in numerous instances of shadowbanning pro-Palestinian posts on Instagram and censoring such content across its platform.
This isn’t the first time Apple employees have publicly called on the company to help Palestinians. In 2021, workers in the Apple Muslim Association, an Apple employee group, distributed an open letter also addressed to Tim Cook, calling on the company to say, “Millions of Palestinians are currently illegally He asked them to recognize that they are suffering under occupation. The plea came after Israel escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip in May of the same year, bombing the strip and killing hundreds of people.
In an open letter three years later, Apples 4 Ceasefire called on Apple’s leadership to “end the silence” on the war and “make clear that Palestinian lives matter.”
“Each year, we are named one of the world’s most admired companies. We lead our industries, create life-changing technology, and move the world forward in so many ways.” The families are writing. “It’s time for Apple to take center stage and redefine expectations for how the world views the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and uphold our beliefs in racial equality and justice.”
