FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (August 31, 2026) – Legal Aid at Work (LAAW) has secured a landmark win against global tech giant Cisco Systems on behalf of employees who spoke out about Palestine – making it the first instance of the federal government finding that a major tech company failed to stop discrimination targeting employees who were collectively engaged in pro-Palestine activism.
The determination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found “reasonable cause to believe that [Cisco] subjected a class of individuals to a hostile work environment based on their national origin (Middle Eastern), religion (Muslim), and/or association with Muslim and/or Middle Eastern individuals, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The Class Members, who wish to remain anonymous due to their fears of retaliation, belonged to a large internal group of Cisco employees who were concerned that the company’s surveillance and AI technologies were being provided to the Israeli military in support of its actions in Gaza subsequent to October 7, 2023, in violation of Cisco’s own Global Human Rights Policy and Code of Business Conduct, as well as international law. This group of employees, organized around the name “Bridge to Humanity” (“B2H”), was composed primarily of Palestinian, Arab and/or Muslim employees of Cisco. Many of the Class Members belong to one or more of those identity groups.
After B2H internally circulated an open letter to Cisco leadership seeking accountability for its sales to the Israeli military, ultimately signed by over 1,700 Cisco employees, they were subjected to vicious and Islamophobic harassment in Cisco-moderated online spaces and outside of work. Some of the comments aimed at them by their co-workers compared Palestinians to animals, wished for the deaths of B2H members, and applauded the killing of innocent Palestinians.
“In its determination, given the plentiful documentation of egregious harassment and Cisco’s inaction, the EEOC properly concluded that Cisco’s actions and failures to act violated Title VII,” said Christopher Ho, Director of the National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights Program at Legal Aid at Work, who is representing the Cisco employees during the EEOC’s investigation. “No worker should have to fear for their physical safety, or work in an atmosphere permeated with threats of violence and doxxing, racism, and Islamophobia.”
On Dec. 12, 2024, Legal Aid at Work filed complaints on behalf of the Class Members with the EEOC, alleging Cisco had failed in its legal duty to put an end to the sustained harassment they were enduring. At the same time, LAAW filed complaints with other workplace enforcement agencies alleging that Cisco violated their federally protected rights to engage in concerted activity, and had unlawfully suppressed their concerns about the sale of the company’s technologies by shutting down B2H’s internal communications and threatening them with discipline.
The EEOC now has the option to file a lawsuit against Cisco. The Class Members are also considering their next steps.
“This EEOC finding is a win for all workers who have been harassed and retaliated against for speaking up about Palestine or any other issue,” said Ho. “Workers have rights in California and across the nation. Any employers who violate those rights will be held accountable.”
See previous coverage here:
October 2024 – WIRED – ‘Double Standards and Hypocrisy’: The Dissent at Cisco Over the War in Gaza
April 2025 – Drop Site – Cisco, a Major Contributor to Israel’s Military Technology, Fired a Pro-Palestine Employee
Media Contacts:
Christopher Ho
Director, National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights Program
Legal Aid at Work
(415) 593-0055
cho@legalaidatwork.org
Emily Hirsch
Vice President of Development and Communications
Legal Aid at Work
(415) 593-0069
ehirsch@legalaidatwork.org
Legal Aid at Work partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights. We also advocate for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.