In the wake of Israel's continued bombardment of Palestine, a bold new coalition called Tech For Palestine has emerged, aiming to challenge the tech industry's silence on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and to empower tech workers to speak out in support of the Palestinian people. Born from Paul Biggar's viral blog post, Tech For Palestine was launched on January 2nd by Paul Biggars and more than 40 founders, engineers, investors and others in the tech industry. The coalition offers a suite of open-source projects, tools and data to help people in tech amplify Palestinian voices and counter the dehumanising rhetoric from certain tech leaders and investors.
Tech For Palestine's mission is clear: empower tech workers to speak up for Palestinian humanity and expose the hypocrisy of investors and leaders who dehumanise Palestinians while profiting from the war. Tech For Palestine highlights the stark contrast between the consequences faced by tech workers and some prominent figures in the industry. The coalition's press release cites instances where tech leaders like Shaun Maguire (Sequoia) and Tal Broda (OpenAI) made dehumanising, violent statements online without facing repercussions, whilst tech workers advocating for Palestinian rights have faced online attacks and even professional consequences from an organised network of pro-Israeli operatives.
Tech For Palestine's open-source toolkit tackles this head-on by offering several practical resources for tech professionals to take action:
- Anti-Palestinian VC Funds: A dynamic list of actively supporting Israel's campaign against Gaza, empowering founders and limited partners to make informed decisions about where their money goes.
- Palestinian Badge: Engineers can easily add badges to their GitHub profiles, publicly declaring their support for a ceasefire and Palestinian rights.
- Palestinian Banner: A prominent banner in the form of a HTML snippet that websites can display to show solidarity with Palestine.
- Israeli Tech Alternatives: A comprehensive list of Israeli tech companies to boycott and suggested alternatives, allowing tech workers to make informed choices with their purchasing power.
Tech For Palestine emphasises a collaborative approach, welcoming volunteers and allies to contribute on their GitHub and Discord, or by signing up to their website. This focus on community building aims to create a network of tech professionals united in their support for Palestinian rights.
With 2.1 million Palestinians under attack in Gaza, 3 million under occupation, and 6 million in the diaspora, the human cost of this conflict is undeniable. Tech For Palestine's message is clear: silence is complicity. By providing tools and fostering a community of support, they empower tech workers to break the silence, challenge the dehumanisation narrative, and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
