By Eric Garcetti via F;oclr Creative Commons
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found the tech company Cisco likely discriminated against its Muslim, Middle Eastern and other employees, reports the Guardian.
It’s the first time the EEOC determined a major company violated civil rights in connection with pro-Palestinian activity.
1700 employees signed an open letter in 2024 urging Cisco to cut its ties to the Israeli government. A complaint filed the same year alleges harassing and Islamophobic messages spiked on the company’s internal messaging platforms following the release of the letter. Many of those who signed the letter were targeted, according to the complaint.
The EEOC released its findings in June but that did not become public until now when Politico Pro disclosed it.
“These Cisconians have, among other things, repeatedly glorified violence, joked about sending people to their deaths, likened Palestinians and those with opposing viewpoints to animals, labeled Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims as murderous, violent terrorists, joked about respecting a person’s gender identity,” the 76-page report said, reported Al Jazeera.
The Council of American Islamic Relations applauded the ruling.
“Employers have a legal responsibility to address harassment and discrimination fairly and consistently. Workers should not have to fear retaliation or a hostile work environment because of their religion, national origin, or association with protected communities,” CAIR said in a statement.
Cisco told the Guardian it “thoroughly investigated all concerns and took appropriate action,” and “disagreed” with the EEOC’s findings.
Complaints filed with the California Labor commissioner and National Labor Relations Board remain pending.
