Protesters occupy a Microsoft data-centre site in Amsterdam

Protesters broke into a construction site for a Microsoft data centre in the Sloterdijk district of Amsterdam on 6 November, the Associated Press reported. Some climbed a crane and set off flares, and others clashed with police; by late afternoon officers were escorting activists off the site, though some remained. The group Geef Tegengas, which the AP translated as “Push Back”, said the activists were occupying the site to stop construction.

Microsoft said it was aware of the demonstration. “We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully,” the company said, adding that it did “not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people’s safety at risk”. Nathan Timmer of Geef Tegengas said protesters would continue until construction stopped: “We don’t want it to be built. Nobody needs it.” Crowd estimates varied between outlets; the AP piece did not give a figure.

The occupation was one event in a wider campaign. Campaigners under the Stop Dirty Data Centres banner planned actions on 6 and 7 November in 15 European countries, including Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, France and the UK. The AP described about a dozen protesters outside a data centre near Berlin and about 100 outside parliament in Warsaw. It also noted that more than 1,000 people had rallied in Milan on 10 October in what it called Italy’s first national anti-data-centre demonstration. Campaigners want a moratorium on large-scale data-centre projects, citing energy use, water consumption, public consultation and environmental oversight.

Owen Espley, coordinator of StopDirtyDataCentres.eu, told the AP there is a wide gap between elected leaders’ enthusiasm for AI and public opinion. The AP placed the protests after the US midterms, in which local ballot measures overwhelmingly went against data centres. It also cited PwC estimates of roughly $5.6 trillion in cumulative European data-centre capital spending between 2026 and 2050, about 18% of the global total.