More than 100 activists breach Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam

More than 100 activists breached a Microsoft AI data center construction site in Amsterdam on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.

Two groups cut open a gate to enter the Microsoft construction site. Riot police intervened at the Plimsollweg construction site in the Sloterdijk neighborhood, where Microsoft plans three large data center towers. Officers used pepper spray and made multiple arrests, though the total count remained unclear as the protest continued. They also confiscated an angle grinder and climbing equipment after arresting at least one person at the site.

Geef Tegengas organized the demonstration, and Extinction Rebellion and Pro-Palestine demonstrators joined, while Fossiel Vrij Nederland protested at the site but not on it. The demonstration took place at the Plimsollweg construction site. A Geef Tegengas spokesperson told AT5 that around 500 people entered the construction site and hundreds more remained outside the perimeter.

Protesters climbed onto scaffolding and a crane at the site, hung a banner reading Down with data centers, fuck AI, and spray-painted slogans on concrete foundations. On Instagram, Geef Tegengas said hundreds of activists blocked data center construction on Friday, saying Amsterdam must not be used for genocide, AI slop, or increasing Big Tech billionaire power. A Fossil Free Netherlands campaigner put turnout at an estimated 400 people in remarks to Bloomberg.

The facility, developed by Pure Data Centres Group, plans 78 megawatts of capacity with Microsoft as its sole tenant. Pure Data Centers, backed by Brookfield-owned Oaktree, plans over $1 billion in investment for the facility. The developer asked people on site to leave safely and talk with the company. Microsoft said it understands strong feelings about the project, respects peaceful expression, but does not condone unlawful actions or actions that put safety at risk.

The Stop Dirty Data Centers coalition called for actions in 16 countries on Nov. 6 and 7, 2026, to demand a pause in major construction. It organized demonstrations in the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, and Poland. The coalition demands moratoria at local, national, and European levels to pause construction until people democratically decide what AI and data centers should serve.

Campaigners say data centers strain electricity and water supplies, compete with housing and businesses, threaten climate goals, and create job losses and security risks from private and big tech power concentration. Protesters told an ANP reporter that the Sloterdijk facility will consume as much energy as all households in Amsterdam combined and represents the ever-expanding power of Microsoft and Big Tech. Pro-Palestine protesters said they joined because Microsoft bears partial responsibility for Palestinian oppression, citing that Microsoft hosts data for ICE and the IDF and linking Big Tech opposition to the fight against oppression and fascism. Sam van der Beek said, “These data centers are destroying our world.”

Tech companies and EU officials say data centers are needed for AI and cloud computing and provide critical infrastructure, though projects require safeguards. The coalition rejects the anti-progress label and existing data center closures, demanding a halt to major construction until governments set clearer rules. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen told Reuters on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, that Europe needs more data centers for AI development with care, and citizens must trust that bills will not rise, blackouts will not happen, and projects will not harm the environment.

Authorities opened a criminal probe over land clearances for a Google project in Finland. Italy and Portugal are tightening environmental regulation for data center projects. Microsoft abandoned a UK project after infrastructure delays. The Netherlands has about 200 data centers planned, under construction, or in operation.

The U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, delivered setbacks for data center projects, with Democrats winning both chambers of Congress and flipping governorships in Texas and Georgia. Voters favored limits in 40 of 41 local ballot contests. Incoming governors in Texas and Georgia called for pausing new data center development. Local voters approved bans, moratoriums, and restrictions in most of the contests.