Protesters break into Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam | News of the demonstrations

Data centers are facing protests across Europe because of the massive amounts of computing power and water they use.

In the Netherlands, protesters broke into a construction site for a new Microsoft data center in Amsterdam, the latest action in a growing movement sweeping Europe.

Several hundred activists occupied the site in the Sloterdijk district on Friday, responding to a call for a two-day demonstration across Europe against data centers, which handle the heavy processing loads associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Protesters clashed with police as some climbed a crane and set off flares.

Nathan Timmer, of protest group Geef Tegengas – which translates to Push Back – told local TV station AT5 that protesters were occupying the site in a bid to stop construction.

“We don’t want it built. Nobody needs it,” Timmer said. “The only thing this will do is AI slop. AI warfare, data surveillance and genocide. We don’t want that.”

Pro-Palestinian activists also joined protests in the Dutch capital. By late afternoon, police were escorting the activists out of the construction site, although some remained, local media reported.

Dutch police said they arrested between 150 and 200 people on suspicion of trespassing during the protest.

Microsoft said it was aware of the Amsterdam protest.

“We understand that people are committed to the project and we respect their right to express their views peacefully,” a spokesperson said. “However, we do not tolerate any actions that are illegal or endanger the safety of people.”

Data centers are facing resistance around the world due to the massive amounts of computing power and water they use. Activists say the rise of facilities serving cloud computing and AI is moving faster than public consultation and environmental monitoring.

Dozens of civil society groups and citizens announced they would join “Stop Dirty Data Centers” events Friday and Saturday in 15 European countries, including Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, organizers said.

In Germany, around ten demonstrators gathered on Friday in front of a data center in the suburbs of Berlin.

“We want to put an end to this indiscriminate construction of data centers in Germany, regardless of any environmental concerns,” protest spokeswoman Caro Weber said. “It’s really very dangerous for our future.”

Around 100 people also demonstrated against the data centers in front of the Polish parliament, representing communities around Warsaw where new centers are planned.

In Italy, the growing data center sector is facing an equally rapid rise in popular opposition, particularly in the northern region of Lombardy, the country’s main hub for digital infrastructure.