Climate activists storm Microsoft data centre site in Amsterdam, several arrested
Climate activists stormed a Microsoft data center construction site in Amsterdam to protest the facility's high energy consumption. The demonstration led to multiple arrests after protesters breached security and climbed construction equipment.
Why it matters
The protest underscores the growing tension between the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure and local environmental and housing concerns in European cities.
Protesters stormed a Microsoft data centre construction site on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Friday during a demonstration against the facility.Around 100 demonstrators entered the site in the Netherlands' capital, according to a Reuters witness.The demonstration was part of two days of coordinated protests against data centres scheduled across several European countries on November 6 and 7.How the protest unfoldedA spokesperson for Geef Tegengas, an activist group campaigning against fossil fuels, told local broadcaster AT5 that around 500 people had entered the construction site, while hundreds more remained outside, technology website TNW reported.Some demonstrators broke through a fence to gain entry, while others climbed a construction crane. Riot police were deployed to the site near Sloterdijk, in Amsterdam’s western port area, and made several arrests.Earlier in the day, police had halted the march as it approached the site.
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