More than 100 campaign groups will join together in 15 countries this week to call for a halt to major AI projects

Protesters across Europe are planning two days of action against datacentres this week with demonstrations taking place in 15 countries.

More than 100 groups are joining together for the “Stop Dirty Data Centres” events on Friday and Saturday. They are calling for a moratorium on large projects, citing environmental and social costs that “we can no longer afford”.

Datacentres have become a lightning rod for concerns over artificial intelligence, given their role in developing and operating the cutting-edge technology. In the US midterm elections this week, opponents of datacentres were among the biggest winners for the Democrats.

Actions across the two days include: a protest outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw; a march in Dublin; a demonstration outside a Microsoft datacentre in Denmark; a “teach-in” near the site of a planned datacentre in Amsterdam; and an event in the Brick Lane area of east London, where a datacentre development has met local opposition.

Owen Espley, the campaign’s coordinator, said communities in the US and Europe are sending a message about data centres.

“Communities and civil society from across Europe are rising up to stop dirty data centres where they live and demand their politicians impose moratoria on large-scale data centre developments,” he said. “The US mid-term results reflect the concerns communities both sides of the Atlantic share about the harms of large-scale data centres.”

Organisers expect attendance at the European events to range from a handful at some to several hundred at larger gatherings such as in Brick Lane and in Dublin.

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