Google has dismissed over 20 more employees after firing 28 last week in response to sit-in rallies at the company’s offices in New York and California. The protests were against Google’s engagement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing endeavour with the Israeli government.

According to the story, a Google official stated that “non-participating bystanders” were sacked. As a result, the total number of employees fired for participating in protests has reached around 50, according to the article.

Earlier reports indicated that a number of Google employees protested at the company’s offices, resulting in the arrest of nine people. In response, Google’s head of security, Chris Rackow, sent a memo denouncing the demonstrations, adding, “This behaviour was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made coworkers feel threatened.” Rackow went on to say that Google investigated the incident and then fired 28 employees.

“If you’re one of the few tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again,” he went on to say.

In addition, Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned staff about the company’s culture, highlighting the importance of free debate and discussion but also accepting the necessity for some boundaries. He remarked, “We promote a culture of lively, open talk that allows us to create and bring amazing ideas to life. Preserving this ethos is critical.”

“This is a business and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics,” he went on to say.

The computer behemoth apparently lay off another group of employees last week. This decision is part of the company’s increased efforts to save expenses and is the latest in a string of job layoffs. A Google spokeswoman tells Reuters that the layoffs are not throughout the entire firm, and that affected employees would be offered the opportunity to pursue internal roles.