Dutch police moved in with force on Friday, detaining between 150 and 200 demonstrators after activists stormed a heavily secured Microsoft data center construction site in Amsterdam.
Some cut through perimeter fencing. Others scaled scaffolding, scrambled up a construction crane, and set off bright flares across the 78-megawatt facility in the capital's western Sloterdijk district. The complex on Plimsollweg—developed by Pure Data Centres, backed by over $1 billion in private capital, and fully leased to Microsoft—became an instant battleground over artificial intelligence infrastructure. One police officer suffered injuries as scuffles broke out near the gates.
The raid was organized by Dutch direct-action collective Geef Tegengas alongside Extinction Rebellion and allied pro-Palestinian groups. Demonstrators unfurled banners branding the expansion "AI warfare" and accusing tech giants of consuming critical power grids while enabling military surveillance abroad.
"We don't want it to be built," said Nathan Timmer, a representative for Geef Tegengas. "Nobody needs it."
City authorities in Amsterdam previously clamped down on new commercial server hubs to protect the municipal electric grid, but this build pushed through under legacy approvals and earlier zoning thresholds. The confrontation reflects a coordinated campaign by the "Stop Dirty Data Centres" coalition, which mounted simultaneous actions across 16 countries targeting physical compute hubs.
Pure Data Centres urged activists to clear the compound safely, offering formal dialogue with local neighborhood representatives. Microsoft stated that while it respects peaceful assembly, it rejects unlawful disruption that risks human life.
By late afternoon, tactical officers escorted the final holdouts off the property in custody on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Dutch prosecutors are preparing charges ahead of weekend remand hearings, even as activist networks pledge renewed disruptions at tech facilities across the continent.