Microsoft data center in Amsterdam: activists storm construction site, 100 or 500 people

On Friday, November 6, 2026, a group of activists entered the construction site of Microsoft’s new data center in Amsterdam by climbing over the fence. A Reuters witness counted about 100 people on the site, while the organizers say there were as many as 500.¹² The incident kicked off two days of protests against data centers in 16 European countries, with a call for a pause on large construction projects linked to artificial intelligence.³⁴

What happened at the Amsterdam construction site

According to Euronews, the activists used ladders to get over the fence and cut a section of it to let the others in. Some climbed onto a crane to unfurl a banner reading “Fuck AI,” while others waved Palestinian flags.⁵² The Guardian also mentions smoke flares and helium-filled balloons tied to equipment. Banners appeared on the site against Microsoft’s services to the Israeli army and to the US immigration and customs agency, ICE.⁶ Accounts of the police response do not entirely match. The police told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that they tried to prevent the occupation and used force. One officer was slightly injured. Euronews reports that the mayor ordered the demonstration to be ended, that riot police intervened and that several arrests were reported. Dawn and Deutsche Welle, by contrast, write that the police stood by.²³⁴⁶ In the late afternoon the police were escorting the activists out, although some were still on the site, according to local media cited by the Associated Press.⁷

How many people were there and who organized the protest

The Reuters witness spoke of about 100 people entering the construction site. A spokesperson for Geef Tegengas told local broadcaster AT5 that there were about 500. Euronews reports the same gap: 100 according to its sources, several hundred according to the organizers.¹² The protest was the work of Geef Tegengas, a Dutch name meaning “Fight Back” or “Resist,” which the Guardian characterizes as a Dutch outfit specializing in direct action. Separately, Euronews mentions another mobilization, by the environmentalist organization Fossielvrij NL.⁵²⁶ The Guardian says the break-in had no connection to the Europe-wide “Stop Dirty Data Centres” campaign, whose supporters also aimed at the same site yet remained outside the fence.⁶ Nathan Timmer, of Geef Tegengas, said the group wants to stop the work and will keep protesting until it stops.⁷

What the project is and how Microsoft and the developer responded

The project involves three towers about 85 meters tall, built by the British developer Pure Data Centres for Microsoft, which will be the sole tenant. The investment exceeds 1 billion dollars.⁵² According to The Verge, the plan dates back to 2016, that is, before the ban on new data centers in Amsterdam until 2030, which was preceded by a temporary halt announced at the end of 2023. The site is also said to have exploited some regulatory loopholes to reach the construction phase.⁵ Pure Data Centres asked those on the site to leave it safely and to open a dialogue. Microsoft said it respects the right to express oneself peacefully, but does not endorse illegal actions or actions that put people’s safety at risk.⁷⁴ Among the protesters’ reasons is the expected electricity consumption. The demonstrators claim that the facilities could use as much as all the households in Amsterdam combined, a figure that Euronews says has not been independently verified.²

Why people are protesting against data centers in Europe

A data center is a facility that houses the computing power for cloud and artificial intelligence services. Tech companies present it as essential infrastructure for businesses, governments and consumers.³ The campaign’s organizers point to pressure on the power grid and water supply, competition with housing and other activities, and risks to climate goals. The coalition says it is not calling for existing facilities to be closed, but for clearer rules before new large construction projects.⁸³ The coalition says that the actions on Friday and Saturday span 16 countries, whereas the Associated Press tallies 15, among them Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. The map on the campaign’s website lists actions at 85 locations.⁸³⁷ Apart from Amsterdam, the plans include a march in Dublin, a protest outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw, which the Associated Press puts at about 100 people, and a demonstration against another Microsoft site in Denmark. About twelve people met outside a data center on the edge of Berlin.⁷⁴ In the same week, in Dublin, some activists had set up a mock Israeli military checkpoint in front of a Microsoft data center.⁵ In Italy, where Lombardy is the main digital hub, on October 10 more than 1,000 people and representatives of about 40 local committees marched in Milan in what the organizers called the first national demonstration against data centers.⁷

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Protesters break into Microsoft data centre construction site in Amsterdam, The Next Web, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩²

2. Netherlands: Protesters storm Amsterdam data centre construction site, Euronews, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Data center protesters break into Microsoft site in Amsterdam, Deutsche Welle, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Activists breach Microsoft data centre construction site as protests spread in Europe, Dawn, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Protesters break into Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam, The Verge, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. Activists break into building site of Microsoft datacentre in Amsterdam, The Guardian · World, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Protesters break into Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam as Europe’s backlash spreads, ABC News (US) · International, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

8. Protesters storm Microsoft AI data center construction site, Tom’s Hardware, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩²