Protesters invade Microsoft data center in Amsterdam

Utoday in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, a group of protesters invaded the construction site of a future Microsoft data centre within the framework of a wave of protests that has expanded across other European countries.

The Dutch police had to intervene to remove the demonstrators who invaded the shipyard, in protest against the environmental impact of these future facilities and the alleged role of the technology company in the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In the immediate vicinity, the environmental organization Fossielvrij Nederland (Netherlands Free of Fossil Fuels, in Portuguese) carried out its own demonstration, an action included in a protest campaign called for this Friday and Saturday in several European countries, with the aim of demanding that the expansion of data centers be stopped.

Hundreds of activists overcame the enclosure fences, located in Sloterdijk district, using stairs and opening holes in the fence, and some even climbed a crane and scaffolding of the work.

The protesters put a banner on which one could read: “Down with data centres, screw Artificial Intelligence (IA),” according to the Dutch regional channel AT5.

This mobilization was organized by the Geef Tegengas collective (Fozer Fronto, in Portuguese), which aims to paralyze the construction of three large towers intended to house computer servers.

Police mobilized intervention units to the area and used canes and pepper gas during the clashes with protesters, after the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, banned the demonstration.

The exact number of people detained is still unknown.

The protest brought together environmental and pro-Palestinian activists, including members of the Extinction Rebellion, who denounce the high energy consumption of data centers, where large amounts of information are stored and processed and which also allow the operation of Artificial Intelligence services.

The protest organizers estimate that the facilities will consume as much electricity as all Amsterdam residences put together and denounce that the project reflects the increased power of large technology companies.

Pro-Palestinian protesters, for their part, accused Microsoft of contributing to the surveillance and repression of the Palestinian population due to their trade links with the Israeli army.

Microsoft said it was aware of the demonstration in Amsterdam, according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

“ We understand that people have strong opinions about the project and respect their right to express these opinions peacefully,” said a spokesman for the company.

“ However, we do not tolerate any illegal actions or that endanger the safety of people,” he continued.

Dozens of civil society groups and activists have stated that they will join the Stop Dirty Data Centres events, taking place until Saturday in 15 European countries, including Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, according to organisers.

Protest drivers demand a moratorium on large-scale projects to address social and environmental concerns around these energy-consuming giants.

“ There is a gap between the way elected leaders get carried away by enthusiasm around the AI and the perception of people,” said Owen Espley, coordinator of StopDirtyDataCentres.eu.

In Germany, a dozen protesters met today in front of a data center outside Berlin.

“ We want to put an end to this blind construction of data centres throughout Germany, without taking into account any environmental concerns,” said protest spokesman, Dear Weber.

In Italy, the rapidly growing data centre sector faces an equally rapid increase in popular opposition, particularly in the northern region of Lombardy, the country's main digital infrastructure hub.

The activists argue that the growth of cloud computing and AI facilities is advancing faster than public consultations and environmental oversight.

The movement reached a milestone on October 10, when more than 1,000 people and representatives of some 40 local committees gathered at Piazza della Scala in Milan for what the organizers described as Italy's first national demonstration against data centers.

The demonstration followed a series of growing mobilizations in cities outside Milan.

Europe should attract 5.6 thousand dollars (about €5 billion) in capital expenditure accumulated in data centres between 2026 and 2050, representing around 18% of the overall investment, according to the report “Global Data Centre Outlook 2026–50” by PwC.

In the United States, the topic of data centres was central to the election campaign for mid-term elections held on Tuesday, where many of the Democratic Party candidates, the great winner of scrutiny, oppose the construction of the centers.

The United States is expected to attract $15.1 billion (about EUR 13.5 billion) in capital expenditure in data centres during that period, according to the same PwC report.