Protest along Embarcadero, with chants of "No Ban, No Wall." #ImWithThem pic.twitter.com/zY09fv6QAB
— Jill Witty (@jwitty) January 30, 2017
A company-wide protest organized and attended by Alphabet/Google employees occurred Monday afternoon along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, with a similar and larger event at the Googleplex in Mountain View, expressing anger over President Trump's executive orders barring immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, suspending the immigration of Syrian refugees indefinitely, and vowing to build a new wall along the Mexican border.
Carrying signs saying "This Is Wrong" and "We Are All Children of Immigrants," the SF group marched along the thoroughfare near Google's local offices at Embarcadero and Howard.
At the Mountain View demonstration, Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke to assembled employees saying the "fight will continue." As The Verge reports, employees at the company have collectively donated $2 million to a crisis fund that will be distributed to various non-profits working to help those affected by the immigration ban, and Alphabet has pledged $2 million in matching funds.
Alphabet president and company co-founder Sergey Brin also spoke, and according to one employee tweeting from the event Brin said "It's a debate about fundamental values." Brin also appeared at the Saturday demonstration at SFO, telling reporters it was because he himself was a refugee, having emigrated from the Soviet Union with his parents when he was six years old.
Similar walkouts and rallies occurred at eight Google/Alphabet offices nationwide, including their Seattle campus.
While other Silicon Valley CEO have come out publicly against Trump's recent actions, this is the first time a company has organized and staged its very own show of protest.
I'm at a protest on the Embarcadero in San Francisco organized and attended by Google employees pic.twitter.com/4bnFKvfnVd
— Blake Montgomery (@blakersdozen) January 30, 2017
#NoBanNoWall demonstration with LOTS of Googlers at Embarcadero and Howard right now. pic.twitter.com/ivNG2YHIdp
— Ⓓan Ⓒiruli (@DanCiruli) January 30, 2017
Google CEO sundar pichai at rally at Googleplex "the fight will continue" pic.twitter.com/cZOfn9FiGY
— Daisuke Wakabayashi (@daiwaka) January 30, 2017
"It's a debate about fundamental values" sergey brin, Google co-founder and refugee pic.twitter.com/JDBXL77xuY
— Daisuke Wakabayashi (@daiwaka) January 30, 2017
This is @google right now. #googlersunite pic.twitter.com/arSNpveFUp
— PGK (@patrickgage) January 30, 2017
Proudly protesting at Seattle #google along other campuses nationwide #GooglersUnite #NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/4r7ohZy8LV
— Kim Cameron (@occasionalvegan) January 30, 2017
Working out of the San Bruno office today #GooglersUnite pic.twitter.com/rbcvKANvl2
— 💋 (@billylamberta) January 31, 2017
One Googler, All Googlers #googlersunite https://t.co/5FyQhgvdDj pic.twitter.com/AHkzDvoPQw
— Christine Kingsley (@Aubear99) January 31, 2017
Previously: Trump Resistance Rises Fast In The Tech And Science Sectors As They See A Work Visa Ban Comes Next