A group of protestors stormed the construction site of a massive Microsoft data centre located on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Friday (November 6), escalating European demonstrations targeting large-scale technology infrastructure. The latest ‘attack’ takes place just months after activists targeted the same location with acid-filled balloons. Riot police have been deployed which made multiple arrests. The breach occurred near Sloterdijk in Amsterdam’s western port area, where work is underway on a major three-building complex intended for Microsoft.
As per a Reuters witness, approximately 100 people breached the site’s boundaries. However, a spokesperson for activist campaign group Geef Tegengas told local broadcaster AT5 that around 500 demonstrators entered the grounds, with hundreds more remaining outside. As per local news portal AN5, several protesters entered the facility by cutting or breaking through perimeter fences, while others scaled an on-site construction crane.
Dutch news agency ANP reported that police had initially blocked the demonstration march earlier in the morning. After the city’s mayor issued an order banning the gathering, marchers attempted to push through established police lines before heading toward the building…