Police arrest 150 to 200 at Amsterdam data centre protest

Police arrested an estimated 150 to 200 suspects at the construction site of a Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam-West. They are suspected of trespassing, police said. Officers say hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists got onto the site, and riot police (ME) eventually cleared it.

Police found items on the arrested suspects that were presumably taken from the site. The suspects were taken to a detention centre. A decision on whether they stay in custody longer is due this evening.

The action group Fossielvrij had demonstrated at the site, at a spot designated for the protest. The group opposes new data centres because some of them run on gas.

The protest quickly got out of hand when another group of activists broke through the fences around the site. According to police, pro-Palestinian demonstrators had an angle grinder and climbing gear. They did not hand the items in despite repeated requests, so police intervened. That led to clashes with the ME.

Later, demonstrators got onto the building site itself. They climbed into a crane and onto the roof of the data centre under construction. The ME then cleared the whole site.