Protesters Provide Additional Information at Microsoft Event

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar

(San Francisco, June 2) - The techies who paid more that $1000 to attend the Microsoft "build" event and learn about the technologies that are taking away their jobs found out about more than Microsoft might have been wanting to tell them.

Namely, that those technologies are also sold as digital weapons to the Israeli military and government to fuel occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

Also, that the AI data centers that Microsoft is investing billions in building are using massive amount of fossil fuels, depriving communities of energy and worsening the ongoing climate devastation.

Flanking the entrance to the Fort Mason cultural center and unavoidable to those going by, were muralist David Solnit's large paintings. One read "Microsoft Data Centers Harm Communities". Another showed Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella plundering the earth with smoke belching power consuming data centers and destroying homes and health centers.

The protestor turnout was relatively low, but the action had impact because the first thing the thousands of arriving participants saw was the huge signs. The signs dominated the entrance and provided a powerful, unavoidable first impression.

Activists also handed out flyers and a large banner read "Microsoft Powers Genocide, Cut All Ties With Israel Now!"

See all high resolution photos here.