Climate Activists Storm Microsoft Data Centre Site in Amsterdam, Several Arrested
· World · Times of India, Euronews, Economic Times
Climate activists from Geef Tegengas stormed a Microsoft data centre construction site on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Friday, with around 100 demonstrators entering the site, according to a Reuters witness. Riot police deployed near Sloterdijk made several arrests after the protesters broke through fences and climbed a construction crane. The demonstration was part of two days of coordinated European protests on November 6 and 7 against data centres, with organisers estimating 500 people entered the site while hundreds gathered outside. Critics argue the project will consume electricity equivalent to all Amsterdam households and delay 30,000 new home constructions, while city officials warn grid constraints threaten housing and school plans. The provincial government approved the project in January after plans were first submitted in 2016, despite a city ban on new data centres within limits.
Why it matters
The arrests highlight growing European resistance to data centre projects that strain local electricity grids and threaten housing construction, directly impacting Amsterdam residents' access to new homes and public services.
Read the original report — Times of India
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