Protesters broke into a construction site for a Microsoft data center in Amsterdam as part of a two-day campaign against data centers across Europe.
More than 100 activists and protesters broke into a Microsoft construction site in the Sloterdijk district on Friday, on the first day of a two-day action against data centers in Europe.
Protest groups are joining together for the “Stop Dirty Data Centers” events on Friday and Saturday. They are protesting against the expansion of data centers across the globe, stating that no one needs these data centers and that they can no longer afford them.
“We don’t want it to be built. Nobody needs it...The only thing this will be used for is AI slop, AI warfare, data surveillance, and committing genocide. We don’t want that,” Nathan Timmer from the Geef Tegengas group told local broadcaster AT5.
Among the protesters, pro-Palestinian activists and groups were also present, wearing keffiyeh scarves and holding placards.
Voicing their concern, the protesters said data centers are “destroying our world,” adding that the centers consume so many resources and, as a result, the world is becoming “uninhabitable.”
Site owner Pure Data Centers asked people present at the site to leave and “engage with us in dialogue about the development and any concerns they may have.”
Dutch police said Friday evening that they arrested 150 to 200 people suspected of trespassing during the protest.
A Microsoft spokesperson also said that they were aware of the situation in the Dutch capital and understood the protesters.
The protests are expected to take place in 15 European countries, including Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, and Britain.
“Communities and civil society from across Europe are rising up to stop dirty data centers where they live and demand their politicians impose moratoria on large-scale data center developments,” Owen Espley, the campaign’s coordinator, said.
Stop Dirty Data Centers stated that it is not anti-progress and is not calling for the complete closure of global data centers, but that major construction should be halted until governments establish clearer rules.
The protests also took place in other European countries. In Germany, a dozen protesters gathered in front of a data center on the outskirts of Berlin. People also protested in front of the Polish parliament, representing communities around Warsaw where new data centers are planned.
The campaign comes amid rising concerns over the rapid expansion of data centers and related controversies. A Google project in Finland faces a criminal investigation over land clearances, while some European countries, including Portugal, are planning to introduce tighter measures for environmental purposes.
The US alone has nearly 40% of the world’s roughly 12,500 existing and planned data centers. Europe, with a total of 3,919, and Asia, with a total of 1,925, rank second and third.
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