Activists Occupy Microsoft Data Center in Europe-Wide AI Protests

Hundreds of activists occupied a Microsoft Corporation data center construction site in Amsterdam's Sloterdijk district on November 7, 2026. Protesters from groups including Geef Tegengas and Fossielvrij scaled cranes and fences, set off flares, and sprayed anti-Microsoft messages on walls. Dutch police detained between 150 and 200 people on suspicion of trespassing, with reports of clashes involving pepper spray and one minor officer injury.

The action was part of a two-day, Europe-wide campaign coordinated by the Stop Dirty Data Centres coalition across 16 countries, including the UK, France, and Poland. On November 8, the movement expanded to thousands of marchers, including 2,000 people in Dublin and 1,300 in Helsinki. Demonstrators demand a moratorium on construction, citing massive electricity and water consumption, environmental damage, and the use of AI for surveillance and warfare.

The Amsterdam project, developed by Pure Data Centres Group with an investment exceeding $1 billion, proceeded via a 2020 permit despite a 2025 city ban on new data centers. Microsoft Corporation stated it respects peaceful expression but does not condone unlawful or unsafe actions. Pure Data Centres Group urged protesters to leave safely and offered to discuss their concerns.

Similar unrest has emerged elsewhere in Europe. In Finland, the Government of Finland is introducing legislation to regulate AI expansion following a criminal inquiry into Google for clearing woodland before completing an environmental impact assessment.