Protesters storm Microsoft data center site in Amsterdam over AI expansion

Around 100 activists breached a construction site leased to Microsoft as part of coordinated actions across 15 European countries An estimated 100 protesters pushed onto the construction site of a Microsoft data center in Amsterdam on November 6, 2026. Their demand was simple: stop building giant data centers, at least for now. The action was not a lone outburst. It was one piece of a coordinated wave of protests across 15 European countries, all calling for a moratorium on large-scale data center construction. What happened at Sloterdijk The demonstration took place in Amsterdam’s Sloterdijk/Westpoort area, where the facility is being built. Activists linked to groups including Geef Tegengas and Fossielvrij NL led the effort. Things turned confrontational quickly. Protesters tried to break through police lines, and authorities responded by sending in riot units to enforce a mayoral ban on the protest. Organizers claimed that hundreds of people took part overall. Several activists reportedly got onto the site by climbing a nearby crane. The broader campaign ran across November 6-7, 2026. Each local action carried the same core ask: pause new data center construction until the costs...