German activists joined protests across Europe on Friday, demanding an immediate freeze on the construction of large-scale data centres over fears of environmental damage and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI).
Footage shows demonstrators chanting and holding banners outside a data centre in Berlin’s Mariendorf district, including one reading “Data centres? No thanks!”.
The protest was part of the ‘Stop Dirty Data Centres’ campaign, with activists staging two days of action across Europe on November 6 and 7, demanding a halt to new large-scale facilities until environmental, social and democratic concerns are addressed.
“We see that data centres are massive climate killers, their electricity consumption, water consumption, land use, and the impact of waste heat on the local microclimate are all major concerns for us,” activist Caro Weber said.
“Another reason why we oppose data centres is the use of AI in deepfakes, disinformation, and automated weapons systems,” she added.
Around a dozen protesters gathered outside the Berlin facility, warning that the rapid expansion of energy-intensive data centres was placing increasing pressure on electricity supplies, water resources and local communities.
In the Netherlands, more than 100 activists descended on a Microsoft data centre construction site in Amsterdam on Friday, with protesters reportedly breaking through fencing, climbing cranes and confronting police.
Further demonstrations took place outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw, while campaigners also planned a march in Dublin and protests against Microsoft data centre developments in Denmark.
The wave of protests follows billions in investment by technology giants in infrastructure to power AI systems and cloud computing, with campaigners accusing governments and corporations of pushing ahead with developments without adequate environmental oversight or public consultation.
Technology companies maintain that data centres are essential for digital services, economic growth and AI development, while opponents demand stricter environmental safeguards before further construction is allowed.
Source: Viory
