SHOTLIST: NEW YORK, US (JUNE 20, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT "NO AZURE FOR APARTHEID" HANDOUT ---EDITORIAL USE ONLY---) 1. PROTESTERS TALKING TO MICROSOFT’S DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER OF OFFICE OF AI, MIKE JACKSON ON STAGE/ GUARD INTERVENING ONE OF PROTESTERS 2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GETTING ONTO STAGE AS THEY CHANT SLOGANS/ HOLDING BANNERS 3. PROTESTERS WALKING INTO BUILDING/ RELEASING FLYING BALLOONS 4. ALARM GOING OFF 5. PROTESTERS DELIVERING SPEECH/ CHANTING SLOGANS/ HOLDING BANNERSNEW YORK, US - JUNE 20, 2025 - MUST CREDIT "NO AZURE FOR APARTHEID" HANDOUT ---EDITORIAL USE ONLY - Two Microsoft executives were met with protests during an artificial intelligence conference in Seattle on Friday, June 20, where demonstrators accused the company of supporting Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Members of the activist group "No Azure for Apartheid" (NoAA), along with other civil society advocates, disrupted a session titled “Ethics and Technology Conference 2025: Governing AI,” held at Seattle University. The protest targeted Mike Jackson, Microsoft’s deputy general manager of the Office of AI, and Teresa Hutson, vice president of corporate responsibility for the technology group. Activists criticized their presence at a conference focused on ethics, citing Microsoft’s reported business ties with the Israeli government and military. As Jackson began his presentation, a protester stood up and accused Microsoft of selling code and artificial intelligence technologies to Israel, calling it “absurd” for the company to speak on ethics while, according to the protester, "a genocide has been ongoing for over a year and a half." Organizers attempted to remove the protester, but the disruption escalated. Jackson left the stage within minutes. Demonstrators held banners reading “Irresponsible AI” and “Cut all contracts with Israel now,” and chanted slogans including “Microsoft, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide,” and “Divest now! We won’t stop, we won’t rest!” Unable to continue, event organizers canceled the session and cleared the room. The protest continued in the building’s atrium, where activists held Palestinian flags and criticized Seattle University for inviting Microsoft representatives. In a statement, NoAA said university administrators called police and threatened arrests if the protesters refused to disperse. Vaniya Agrawal, a NoAA organizer, said in a written statement that the executives backed down when the group made it clear they wouldn’t stop until Microsoft and its partners are held accountable. Microsoft had not issued a public response as of Friday evening. Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis.