More than 100 activists broke into a Microsoft datacentre construction site in Amsterdam on Thursday, climbing cranes, lighting flares and hanging banners in one of the most dramatic actions yet against the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure across Europe.
The protesters, from the Dutch direct action group Geef Tegengas, forced their way into the construction site at Westpoort, Amsterdam, clashing with police in the process. Some members climbed a crane and tied helium balloons to equipment, while others attached a banner reading "Genocide" to scaffolding at the site.
Police said in a statement: "The police attempted to prevent [the occupation] and arrest protesters, but were unable to prevent it and force was used. An officer was slightly injured during the protest."
Protesters from both groups present at the site said police used teargas to dispel activists attempting to enter the construction site.
The break-in was separate from the pan-European "Stop Dirty Data Centres" campaign, which targeted the same site but whose affiliated members remained outside the perimeter fence. The campaign involves more than 100 groups across 16 countries and is calling for moratoria on the construction of new datacentres. Further protests are expected on Saturday.
Banners hung at the site objected to Microsoft's provision of services to the Israeli military and to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Organisers and local media reported hundreds of protesters on each side of the fence.
Smaller protests took place in Bristol in the United Kingdom, at a datacentre in Berlin, outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw, and at the main square in Zagreb, Croatia.
Stop Dirty Data Centres, a coalition that includes national branches of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, said it had not coordinated or promoted the direct action in the Netherlands, but that it was "understandable" that communities would turn to a range of tactics when they were unable to meaningfully 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, said the struggle against big tech was inseparable from the fight against oppression. "We won't accept Amsterdam being used for the creation of AI slop and the facilitation of genocide," said Molenaar. "This datacentre is gulping up our drinking water to make the rich even richer."
A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company was aware of the demonstration and that its first concern was the wellbeing of everyone at and around 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 spokesperson for Pure Data Centres, the site owner, said the company respected the right to peaceful protest but that entering a live construction site was unlawful and dangerous. "Our immediate priority is everyone's safety, and we respectfully ask those on site to leave safely and engage with us in dialogue about the development and any concerns they may have," the spokesperson said.
The protests reflect growing public anger across Europe over the environmental and social costs of the AI boom. Concerns cited by activists and campaign groups include rising energy consumption, pressure on water supplies, job losses and the role of technology companies in broader societal issues.
Governments across Europe have backed the construction of AI datacentres to boost tax revenues and compete with the pace of deployment in the United States and China, with some framing the AI race as a matter of national security.
In the United States, nearly every proposed moratorium on datacentres that appeared on the ballot in this week's midterm elections was approved, according to reports.
