Protesters break into Microsoft data centre site in Amsterdam as Europe’s backlash spreads
The demonstrations come days after the US midterm elections ushered in a wave of Democrats promising to clamp down on data centers.
On Friday, November 6, protesters entered a construction site in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where a new Microsoft data center was being built. Some demonstrators climbed a crane and set off flares, while others confronted police. Nathan Timmer of the protest group Geef Tegengas explained that they were occupying the site to prevent construction.
Protesters against data centers in Europe planned to hold demonstrations and other actions in several countries on Friday and Saturday, advocating for a moratorium on large-scale developments to address social and environmental concerns. Timmer stated that the proposed data center would only be used for AI-related activities, such as "AI slop, AI warfare, data surveillance, and committing genocides."
Pro-Palestinian activists also joined the demonstrations in the Dutch capital. Microsoft acknowledged the protest but emphasized that they do not support unlawful actions endangering public safety. The demonstrations followed the US midterm elections, which saw Democrats promising to regulate data centers due to their massive energy consumption.
In Germany, Berlin saw a dozen protesters outside a data center, while in Italy, the data center industry faces rapid opposition, particularly in Lombardy. Europe anticipates significant investment in data centers, with $5.6 trillion in capital spending projected by 2050.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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