Demonstrators opposed to a major Microsoft data centre project stormed the construction grounds on Amsterdam's western edge during Friday's action. According to a Reuters observer present at the scene, approximately 100 individuals successfully entered the premises, though the activist collective Geef Tegengas claimed a significantly higher figure when speaking to local media AT5.
Geef Tegengas, an environmental organisation focused on eliminating fossil fuel dependence, contends that the facility should be abandoned. The group maintains that the installation will draw electrical power equivalent to what all of Amsterdam's residential buildings consume annually and will obstruct the development of 30,000 new residential units.
Entry to the site occurred through multiple methods: some participants cut through perimeter fencing while others scaled construction equipment. Stationed near Sloterdijk in the port district, riot police responded to the incursion and detained multiple individuals, AT5 reported.
Prior to the breach, authorities had intercepted the march before it reached the location. The city's mayor subsequently prohibited the gathering, prompting participants to attempt pushing through police cordons, according to Dutch news organisation ANP.
Geef Tegengas representatives denounced law enforcement conduct and asserted that authorities had disregarded fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression.
The Microsoft facility comprises three structures, each standing 85 metres in height, which the technology company will fully lease. Initial applications were submitted in 2016, preceding Amsterdam's prohibition on new data centre construction within municipal boundaries. The provincial administration subsequently greenlit the venture in January, as reported by DutchNews.
Opponents contend that the undertaking circumvents stringent Dutch regulations governing exceptionally large data centre installations. Simultaneously, municipal authorities have flagged that electrical infrastructure constraints jeopardise expansion plans for residential and educational facilities.
The location has faced prior activist attention; during July, members of Extinction Rebellion hurled balloons containing acid and paint over the perimeter fence. This incident reflects mounting grassroots opposition to data centre expansion spreading throughout Europe and North America.
Friday's action represented one component of a broader two-day campaign targeting data centres across multiple European nations scheduled for November 6 and 7. Microsoft declined to issue a public statement regarding the incident at the time of reporting.
Source: The Next Web
