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…