Cisco, American technology giant, accused of allowing a hostile climate to establish itself towards Muslim and pro-Palestinian employees

The American Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) finds that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Cisco violated the civil rights of several employees who are Muslim, from the Middle East or committed to Palestinian rights. Cisco is one of the main American technology groups. Specializing in computer networks, telecommunications, cybersecurity and digital infrastructures, the multinational supplies its technologies to numerous companies, administrations and institutions around the world.

The EEOC investigation follows complaints filed in late 2024 by Cisco employees. The latter denounced the multiplication of racist, Islamophobic and hostile messages to Palestinians on the company’s internal communication spaces after the attacks of October 7, 2023 and the start of the war in Gaza. The situation would have become particularly tense after the publication, in April 2024, of an open letter signed by more than 1,700 employees. The text notably asked Cisco to be transparent about its commercial relations with Israel and its army, but also to better protect employees who spoke out in favor of Palestinian rights.

According to the testimonies collected, several signatories were then targeted on Cisco’s internal networks. Some messages even called for their departure from the company, while employees claim to have feared that their names would be identified and used against them. Several employees at the origin of this mobilization have since been fired, laid off or pushed out, according to former employees cited by The Guardian. The EEOC considers that Cisco was able to allow a “hostile work environment” to establish itself based in particular on the national origin and religion of the people concerned.

Cisco disputes this conclusion. The group claims to have conducted a thorough investigation into the reported facts and taken the measures it deemed necessary. This case comes as several American tech giants face criticism from their own employees regarding their commercial or technological ties with Israel and their possible role in operations in Gaza.