Activists break into Microsoft data centre construction site in Amsterdam

Activists have stormed the construction site of a Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam as the backlash to the social and environmental impacts of the AI boom intensifies across Europe. Protesters from the Dutch direct action group Geef Tegengas clashed with police while breaking into the Westpoort site, where some climbed a crane, lit flares and attached helium balloons to equipment.

The demonstration coincided with a Europe-wide movement against the rapid expansion of energy-intensive AI, involving over 100 groups in a two-day protest series demanding moratoria on new data centre construction. While a separate coalition named Stop Dirty Data Centres held a demonstration outside the perimeter, the break-in at the Dutch site featured banners objecting to Microsoft’s services for the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Police stated that they attempted to prevent the occupation and arrest protesters, but were unable to stop the entry and force was used. According to the police, one officer was slightly injured during the confrontation. Protesters reported that police used force and teargas to dispel activists, with organisers and local media noting hundreds of individuals on each side of the fence.

Additional protests took place in Bristol, UK, at a data centre in Berlin, Germany, outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw and at the main square in Zagreb, Croatia. Further demonstrations are expected on Saturday. The Stop Dirty Data Centres coalition, which includes national branches of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, stated it did not coordinate the direct action in the Netherlands, though it described it as “understandable” that communities would turn to such tactics when unable to participate in decision-making.

“Big tech and government are racing ahead with large-scale datacentre development despite significant public concern about the impacts on local communities, natural resources and other industries,” said Owen Espley, campaign coordinator. “Many datacentre developments are planned with limited transparency or scrutiny, while communities across Europe are being shut out of decisions that will shape their local environments and futures.”

Roos Molenaar, an activist from Geef Tegengas, argued the struggle against big tech is linked to the fight against oppression and fascism. “We won’t accept Amsterdam being used for the creation of AI slop and the facilitation of genocide,” said Molenaar. “This datacenter is gulping up our drinking water to make the rich even richer.”

A Microsoft spokesperson said the company was aware of the demonstration and prioritised the wellbeing of everyone at the site. “We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully. However, we do not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people’s safety at risk.” A representative for Pure Data Centres, the site owner, also noted that while they respect the right to peaceful protest, entering a live construction site is dangerous and unlawful, requesting that those on site leave safely.

The project involves three 85-metre towers in the outskirts of Amsterdam. Although the city banned new data centres until 2030 following a temporary stop announced in late 2023, this project is proceeding as it was planned as far back as 2016. The site, built by British developer Pure Data Centres, navigated loopholes to reach the construction phase, with Microsoft as the sole tenant.

Elsewhere, activists staged a mock Israeli military checkpoint outside a Microsoft data centre in Dublin on Tuesday. In the US, voters recently approved nearly every proposed moratorium on data centres on the ballot. Microsoft also abandoned the UK’s largest data centre project last month due to power supply limitations, and has faced internal protests from employees regarding its role in Israel’s war against Hamas, including disruptions at the company’s 50th anniversary party and the Build developer conference.

Governments across Europe have supported AI data centre development to boost tax revenues and match the computing power deployment seen in the US and China. However, these facilities have become a flashpoint for public anger, with recent reports by the Guardian and Investigate Europe highlighting dangerous conditions for some workers building them.