Dutch police detained between 150 and 200 people during a Microsoft data center protest at a construction site in Amsterdam, accusing them of trespassing after the demonstration shifted from a planned peaceful action into a confrontation.
The arrests followed an attempt by some participants to force their way into the fenced-off construction area. Authorities reported seizing tools that had been brought along for breaking into the site. According to the police account, protesters were initially permitted to remain and demonstrate peacefully, but a portion of the group later chose to enter the grounds with force, prompting officers to step in.
Investigators also said that items believed to have been stolen from the construction site were found among the belongings of some of those detained, and that damage and vandalism had been inflicted on the data center property.
Background to the Amsterdam action
The incident extends a series of demonstrations that began the previous Friday, when activists breached the same Microsoft data center, which is owned by Pure Data Centers. It also marks the opening of a broader campaign organized by the Stop Dirty Data Centers coalition, with further actions being planned in Amsterdam, Dublin, Warsaw, Denmark and additional cities across Europe.
Dutch broadcaster NOS identified the group at the site as Fossielvrij, which campaigns against the use of fossil fuels in data centers. The organization has pointed to examples such as the jet engines that Elon Musk installed at xAI’s Mississippi data center.
Fossielvrij has argued that the rapid expansion of data centers places a strain on energy supplies and local communities. In a statement on its website, the group said that gas prices are rising sharply and that new housing projects are being delayed because of an overburdened power grid, while technology billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos continue to build energy-intensive data centers. The group called for a pause on further construction so that the public can decide democratically how AI should be used and how many additional data centers are actually needed, rather than allowing those decisions to be driven by harm to the living environment.
Disruption and police response
While Fossielvrij’s action had been intended to remain peaceful, authorities indicated that another group joined the demonstration and broke through the fencing around the site, which led to the police confrontation. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and taken to a cell complex, where a decision will be made on whether to hold them longer. Police said all suspects will be heard afterward.
The Amsterdam arrests come as opposition to AI-driven data center construction grows. In Finland, a Google data center site has encountered difficulties after clearing approximately 1,300 acres of forest without an environmental impact assessment, displacing wildlife and prompting a criminal investigation into Tuike Finland Oy, the Google subsidiary responsible for the site.
