By cedricg
Publication Date: 2026-11-07 07:44:00
Activists entered a Microsoft data‑centre construction site in Amsterdam and staged coordinated protests across Europe.
On 6 November 2026, activists broke into a construction site for a new Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam, in an escalation of opposition to the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure supporting cloud computing and AI.
More than 100 activists entered the site in the Sloterdijk district, with some climbing construction cranes, hanging banners and setting off flares. Police intervened and detained between 150 and 200 people on suspicion of trespassing, according to reports. The incident took place amid a wider European mobilisation against large-scale data-centre development, reflecting growing public concerns about the environmental, economic and social consequences of the AI infrastructure boom. It also brought renewed attention to the relationship between the expansion of digital infrastructure and the interests of the…