Overview
- Protesters breached the Pure Data Centres construction site leased to Microsoft in Amsterdam’s Sloterdijk area and police detained roughly 150–200 people during the action on Friday.
- The action was organised by Geef Tegengas with participation from Fossielvrij NL and the Stop Dirty Data Centres coalition and included activists climbing fences and a crane, unfurling banners and setting off flares.
- The contested project comprises three roughly 85‑metre towers, is leased in full to Microsoft and plans about 78 MW of power capacity, details that campaigners say threaten local grid capacity and housing plans.
- Amsterdam approved the project under older permits while the city has since restricted new large data centres, a clash that campaigners and some local officials say exposes gaps in planning and oversight.
- The breach is part of coordinated protests across about 15–16 European countries pressing for pauses on new large sites and is likely to increase regulatory scrutiny, legal challenges and local political pressure on developers and tech firms.