FOLLOW US

CALIFORNIA — A group of nine former Google employees filed a proposed class action lawsuit Friday, alleging the tech giant unlawfully fired them for staging a peaceful protest against what they claim is the company’s harassment of Muslim and Arab workers and its business ties to Israeli military operations.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Google of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and several state-level civil rights laws by retaliating against workers who participated in a sit-in protest across its Sunnyvale, CA, and New York City offices on April 16, 2024.

The Google employee protest lawsuit centers on the company’s controversial involvement in Project Nimbus, a cloud-computing contract with the Israeli government. Plaintiffs claim the project directly supports Israeli military operations in Gaza, and their protest sought to expose and challenge this relationship, along with workplace discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab staff.

Peaceful Protest Met With Arrests, Firings

The employees say they distributed informational leaflets, held signs, and wrote messages on whiteboards — all while maintaining a peaceful demeanor. In Sunnyvale, demonstrators hung a banner in an empty office and avoided disruptions, according to the complaint.

Despite these measures, Google allegedly placed several participants on administrative leave. Four workers who refused to vacate the premises were arrested. Counter-protesters who filmed and harassed the group faced no discipline, the suit adds.

“None of the conduct... was significantly disruptive,” the complaint states. “Any disruption was manufactured by Google’s own security personnel.”

By late April, the nine plaintiffs and others involved in the action received termination notices.

Allegations of Discrimination and Doxxing

The lawsuit describes a broader pattern of retaliation and workplace hostility. It cites an October 2023 incident in which Google investigated a Muslim employee involved in circulating a petition against Project Nimbus, allegedly accusing him of terrorism.

In March 2024, two Muslim employees were reportedly doxxed after internal messages critical of the project were leaked to conservative outlet The Daily Wire, which published their names, photos, and office locations. Plaintiffs say Google failed to protect its employees or adequately respond to the doxxing incident.

Seeking Justice for Fired Workers

The plaintiffs held various positions at Google, including software engineering, product operations, and program management. Their class action seeks to represent all employees allegedly fired for engaging in protected protests.

The suit demands reinstatement, front and back pay, and compensatory and consequential damages, in addition to liquidated damages for the alleged civil rights violations.

The case is Anderson et al. v. Google LLC, case number 5:25-cv-03268, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The plaintiffs are represented by Aleksandr L. Felstiner of Levy Ratner PC. Google has yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.