Several hundred activists opposed to the construction of a Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam occupied the site on Friday, in the opening action of a two-day protest against large data centres across Europe.
The activists, from the collective Geef Tegengas, which campaigns for climate and justice, and the environmental group Fossielvrij, entered the construction site in the Sloterdijk district of the Dutch capital, halting work for the day.
They reached the site by scaling barrier fences despite a police presence, and once inside they shouted political slogans and sprayed anti-Microsoft messages on walls under construction, according to reports from the scene. Some climbed a construction crane and set off flares.
A Reuters witness counted about 100 people breaching the site’s boundaries, while a spokesperson for Geef Tegengas told local broadcaster AT5 that around 500 demonstrators had entered the grounds, with hundreds more outside. Dutch news agency ANP reported that police arrested between 150 and 200 protesters on suspicion of trespassing, while other activists left the site voluntarily.
Geef Tegengas spokesman Nathan Timmer told AFP the protest brought together many struggles in one place. He argued the finished centre would use as much electricity as all the households in Amsterdam combined and a huge amount of water. The group also objects to what it says is Microsoft’s role in supplying technology to the US immigration agency and the Israeli military.
Microsoft said it respects the right to express views peacefully but does not condone actions that are unlawful or put people’s safety at risk.
The site, in Amsterdam’s Westpoort port area, is being built by British developer Pure Data Centres as a campus of three towers about 85 metres tall, with Microsoft reported to be its sole tenant. The developer puts its capacity at 78 megawatts.
AI data centres need large amounts of electricity, putting pressure on power grids that are often still reliant on fossil fuels, and in many cases large volumes of water to cool hot computing equipment. Opposition to their environmental impact is growing worldwide, alongside concerns about noise, pollution, their appearance and how many jobs they actually create.
A coalition of campaign groups called Stop Dirty Data Centres has been pushing for a pause in the construction of such sites, and called for action on Friday and Saturday in European countries, with further protests planned in Denmark, Dublin and Warsaw.
