Protesters broke into a construction site for a new Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam on Friday, 6 November, with some climbing a crane and setting off flares while others clashed with police, the Associated Press reported from The Hague. Reuters witnesses reported roughly 100 protesters reaching the site in the city's Sloterdijk district, with more than 100 activists gathered overall; the organisers claimed several hundred had taken part, according to Euronews.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
Nathan Timmer of the protest group Geef Tegengas - a name that translates as 'Push Back' - told local broadcaster AT5 that protesters were occupying the site in an effort to stop construction. 'We don't want it to be built. Nobody needs it,' Timmer told AP. 'The only thing this will be used for is AI slop. AI warfare, data surveillance, and committing genocides. We don't want that,' he added, vowing to continue protesting until construction is halted. Those characterisations of the facility and of Microsoft are the protesters' claims, not established fact.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
The project is being developed by Pure Data Centres for Microsoft, which is the sole intended tenant of the three planned towers, each about 85 metres high, with investment exceeding US$1 billion; the developer is backed by Oaktree, which is owned by Brookfield, according to the reporting on the project. Amsterdam has restricted new data-centre development under a moratorium extending to 2030, citing pressure on electricity supply, land, water and housing.
Source: Gadget Review, reporting Reuters and project details, Nov 6, 2026
By late afternoon, police were escorting activists off the construction site, though some still remained, local media reported via AP. Dutch reports cited by Euronews said arrests were made after the site was breached. Pro-Palestinian activists also joined the demonstration in the Dutch capital, and protesters carried banners and signs accusing Microsoft of supporting genocide - an allegation advanced by the protesters that is not independently verified.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
The companies answer
Microsoft said it was aware of the Amsterdam demonstration. 'We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully,' a spokesperson told AP. 'However, we do not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people's safety at risk.' Pure Data Centres said it remained committed to engaging with local stakeholders and asked those on site to leave safely and engage in dialogue about the development.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
A backlash going Europe-wide
The Amsterdam action opened two days of 'Stop Dirty Data Centres' events on 6-7 November, with dozens of civil society and grassroots groups joining actions in 15 European countries including Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, organisers said via AP. In Germany, a dozen protesters gathered in front of a data centre on the outskirts of Berlin on Friday. 'We want to put a stop to this blind construction of data centers around Germany, regardless of any environmental concerns,' protest spokeswoman Caro Weber said. In Italy, opposition is growing fastest in the northern Lombardy region, where more than 1,000 people and around 40 local committees held what organisers called Italy's first national demonstration against data centres in Milan's Piazza della Scala on October 10.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
Campaigners argue the facilities compete with housing and businesses for scarce electricity and water. Geef Tegengas contends the Amsterdam facility could consume as much electricity as all Amsterdam households combined and affect plans for approximately 30,000 homes - figures that are the group's campaign claims and have not been independently verified. The scale of what is being fought over is large: Europe is projected to attract US$5.6 trillion in cumulative data-centre capital spending from 2026 through 2050 - yaani 5.6 lakh crore US dollars - about 18 percent of the global total, against US$15.1 trillion for the United States, according to PwC's Global Data Centre Outlook 2026-50 cited by AP.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 6, 2026
What is solid
- Protesters entered the Microsoft data centre construction site in Amsterdam on Friday, Nov 6; some climbed a crane and set off flares, AP reported, and police escorted activists off the site by late afternoon
- The site is a Pure Data Centres development of three ~85-metre towers with Microsoft as sole intended tenant and investment above US$1 billion
- Microsoft told AP it respects peaceful expression but does not condone unlawful actions or safety risks; Pure Data Centres said it wants dialogue with local stakeholders
What is only claimed
- Crowd size: Reuters witnesses and Euronews put about 100 protesters inside the site, while organisers claimed several hundred took part
- Campaign size: AP, citing organisers, lists actions in 15 European countries on Nov 6-7; coalition announcements elsewhere describe coordinated actions across 16 countries
- The protesters' claims - that the facility would use as much electricity as all Amsterdam households and that Microsoft's technology supports genocide - are campaign allegations, not independently verified
The campaign's second day runs on Saturday, 7 November, across Europe, and the organisers' central demand is a moratorium on new large-scale data centres. The fight lands as governments compete for AI investment after the US midterms brought in Democrats promising to clamp down on data centres - Owen Espley, coordinator of StopDirtyDataCentres.eu, told AP there is 'a gulf between where elected leaders are at in terms of buying into the hype about AI and where people are at.' Amsterdam's own moratorium already runs to 2030; whether the site occupation changes the project's timetable is not yet known.