Activists storm Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam

Protesters broke into the construction site of a Microsoft ↘ 0.99% AI data centre in Amsterdam on Friday, November 6. It was the first of two days of rallies against the rapid build-out of AI computing infrastructure, Reuters reported. The "Stop Dirty Data Centres" coalition says activist groups have announced actions in 16 countries on Friday and Saturday. The coalition brings environmental groups and digital rights campaigns together behind a call to pause large-scale construction.reuters.com

Breach in Amsterdam

A Reuters witness counted more than 100 activists. They marched arm in arm before entering the site, then climbed cranes, hung balloons and danced while police stood by. Some carried placards reading "Screw your datacentre". Crowd estimates varied. Ritzau, writing in The Copenhagen Post, put the number at about 200. A spokesperson for organiser Geef Tegengas told local broadcaster AT5 it was closer to 500, according to Capacity. Capacity also reported that the mayor had banned the demonstration and that riot police made several arrests at the Sloterdijk site.cphpost.dk+2

Denmark's Green Youth Movement said in a press release that Danish activists took part, alongside protesters from Germany, France, Portugal and Spain.cphpost.dk

The site belongs to Pure Data Centres, which plans to invest more than $1 billion and is backed by Oaktree, a firm owned by Brookfield ↘ 0.91%. "We respectfully ask those on site to leave safely and engage with us in dialogue about the development and any concerns they may have," the company said. Microsoft said it respected people's right to express their views peacefully but did not condone unlawful actions.reuters.com

More actions this weekend

Other planned protests include a march in Dublin, a rally outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw and a demonstration against a different Microsoft data centre in Denmark. The Danish protest is set for Saturday, November 7. A map on the coalition's website shows actions at 85 locations. Some earlier reports said more than 100 groups from 15 countries would take part, with Greenpeace and Foxglove among them.tomshardware.com+3

Calls for a moratorium

Campaigners say data centres strain electricity and water supplies, compete with housing for scarce resources and threaten climate goals. The coalition says it is not against progress and is not seeking to close existing facilities. It wants major construction halted until governments set clearer rules.reuters.com

Campaign coordinator Owen Espley linked the protests to this week's US midterms, saying the results "reflect shared concerns on both sides of the Atlantic". EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen called AI "a super important technology" for Europe. She added that citizens must be able to trust "their energy bills are not skyrocketing" because of data centres.news.sbs.co.kr+1