Demonstrators from Geef Tegengas, a Dutch activist group, breached the perimeter of a Microsoft datacentre under construction at Westpoort in Amsterdam, resulting in confrontations with police. According to law enforcement, officers used force to attempt to disperse the protesters, and one officer sustained minor injuries during the action. Participants scaled equipment, deployed flares, and displayed banners objecting to Microsoft’s contracts with the Israeli military and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The occupation represented one of many demonstrations occurring across Europe as part of a two-day coordinated push involving more than 100 organizations to demand halts on new datacentre construction. Concurrent protests took place in Bristol, Berlin, Warsaw, and Zagreb. The Stop Dirty Data Centres coalition, which includes Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth branches, distinguished itself from the direct action in Amsterdam, stating it had not organized or encouraged the site occupation, though characterizing such tactics as comprehensible responses when communities feel excluded from decision-making processes.
Critics of datacentre expansion cite environmental concerns, including water consumption and energy demands, alongside broader objections regarding artificial intelligence’s societal implications. Campaign organizers highlighted the lack of public transparency surrounding many datacentre projects and limited community participation in planning decisions. Recent U.S. midterm elections saw nearly all proposed datacentres-related moratoriums approved by voters.
Microsoft and Pure Data Centres, the site operator, each issued statements emphasizing their commitment to safety and respect for peaceful expression while characterizing the unauthorized entry as dangerous and unlawful. European governments have generally promoted datacentre development as economically beneficial and strategically important for competing in global AI advancement, framing such infrastructure as tied to national competitiveness and security considerations. Recent investigations have documented problematic working conditions at some datacentre construction sites across Europe.
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