[pwb25]

the american at will system at work. I dont judge the content of the protest itself, but that you can be fired for political beliefes is crazy to me as a european

[gnfargbl]

He wasn't fired for his political beliefs. He was fired for persistently heckling a senior leader during a public presentation, which meets anyone's definition of gross insubordination. He could have gone on a tirade about how Google supports putting ketchup on hot dogs and the result would have been the same, in Europe or the US.

[throwaway74432]

Depends. Do we have any examples of Google allowing obnoxious heckling when it is coming from another political belief? Consistency is key.

[FirmwareBurner]

Please stop generalizing. As a an european you definitely CAN be fired here for political beliefs if they impact work. Actually you can be fired for anything. Come to Austria and see.

You're not allowed to bring your political beliefs at work, which IMHO is best for everyone. Keep them at home/your private time. Same for religion, sexuality, etc. Your workplace is not your market square for your personal beliefs and activism.

[truckerbill]

This behaviour is itself inherently good for authoritarian regimes though. You can’t escape politics

[pimeys]

Yeah, you should definitely also stop talking about your kids at work. Nobody cares about your straight lifestyle.

[matthewmacleod]

You're not allowed to bring your political beliefs at work, which IMHO is best for everyone.

Everybody does bring their political beliefs to work, and it manifests in things like how they interact with their colleagues and customers.

Choosing whether or not to provide equal benefits to same-sex couples is a political decision. Providing goods or services to an authoritarian regime is a political act. Your maternity policy is a political act. Even your dress code can be a political act.

What you really mean is that people shouldn’t be bringing to work views outside of a small range you deem uncontroversial.

[tyleo]

Idt it’s political beliefs. The protestor was sorta heckling a presentation to my eye.

Edit:

This is even brought up in the second bullet of the linked page.

> The worker stood and shouted during a presentation by Google Israel's managing director.

[ParetoOptimal]

If their reason for doing it was a political cause it was a protest.

Hecklers only cause is heckling.

[pwb25]

ok, still way to much to get fired over. one small thing ? lol americans are so sensitive

[rzimmerman]

He wasn’t fired for his beliefs. He was fired for screaming and interrupting a coworker’s presentation in a public setting.

[brink]

Can't you go to jail for saying the wrong thing in Europe?

[junon]

Depends on the thing and the place. In Germany you cannot do a Sieg Heil salute in public, for obvious reasons - and even that is loosely enforced. But you're absolutely allowed to protest.

[fifteen1506]

Only if you insist on saying Heil Hitler non-stop. Besides that, no.

Even then, Nazi salute is being used on my country's parties and everyone shrugs.

[djakaitis]

Isn’t it illegal to publicly display any nazi symbols in Germany?

[pwb25]

yes it is , but thats a law not some random decicision by a company

Doesn't mean I agree with the law, but at least its more fair

[timeon]

Is that legit political belief? I ISIS legal in US too?

[XorNot]

Pretty sure you'll be fired for disrupting company events for your political beliefs in the EU as well, which is what this employee did.

It would be a different matter if they were simply attending pro-Palestine protests on their own time.

[HL33tibCe7]

I agree with the substance of the protest and frankly I respect the bravery of the person who conducted it. But let’s be realistic here: they were not fired for their views, they were fired for the manner in which they displayed them, which was clearly not appropriate for the workplace, and really left Google no choice but to fire them.

[yunesj]

"an employee disrupted a coworker who was giving a presentation — interfering with an official company-sponsored event"

[willmadden]

People are jailed for their political beliefs throughout most of Europe.

[HL33tibCe7]

Not just political beliefs. In many countries in Europe you can be jailed merely for sending an “offensive” message.

[sgift]

> You can be jailed for your political beliefs throughout most of Europe.

Uh ... since when?

[pwb25]

Not if they are following the law no

[CapitalistCartr]

"that you can be fired for political beliefes is crazy to me as a european"

Many of us Americans do as well, but America's rich love it.