Power in organising, power in communities

On Saturday, November 7th, we saw a thousands-strong march through Dublin city in support of a moratorium on more data centres. Data centres’ massive energy demand in Ireland has been an issue of concern for many years, but Saturday’s protest marked the first ever national demonstration against more data centres in the country. 

This day built on months and months of work to connect up fights across the country and support local organising in the communities where it was happening. Despite the cold November weather, there was a palpable sense of joy, pride and determination! While the Government has largely shrugged its shoulders at mounting evidence of the industry's harms, communities have taken a stand and are no longer fighting each development in isolation. 

Saturday’s march coincided with a Europe wide day of action against more data centres which saw thousands of people take to the streets in cities, towns and villages across 14 countries from Finland to Spain and beyond! 

Ireland faces a tidal wave of new data centre proposals. Dublin has long been considered one of the data centre capitals of the world, a title which has come at a cost in terms of severe grid constraint, high electricity prices and massive fossil gas build out. Now, larger and more even more intensive developments are in planning right across the country. 

From the role of community organising in stopping more huge and unnecessary data centres, to the power that workers’ have in opposing exploitative AI rollout, speakers at Saturday's demonstration wove together a powerful story of why and how we can resist Big Tech’s power grab and demand the Government takes action. 

Clyde Doyle from Naas talked about the massive carve up of local land by big tech developers, who are now hoarding hundreds of acres around the town designated solely for data centre development. Amongst the key beneficiaries of this land is set to be Microsoft, a company which down the road in Clondalkin has used its Irish servers to run applications and store data for the Israeli Defence Forces to carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians during the genocide and apartheid in Gaza, the West Bank and beyond.

University lecturers, Jeremy Auerbach and Jennie Stephens talked about the hypocrisy of government and university management handing out millions in funding to AI companies while students sleep in the cars. 

Drogheda local Michael Tuohy asked why the community should be expected to celebrate another data centre offering only a handful of jobs while the town is plagued by empty shops, derelict housing and a lack of community facilities. He drew the links between the need for a new heavily polluting gas plant in the Boyne Valley with data centres’ increasing energy demand in the county.

Colin Doyle, a community campaigner from Ennis talked about the injustice of communities having to fill the gap left by the Government in figuring out the impacts of gas heavy data centres on local health and national targets for reducing emissions and pollution. As Doyle noted, it is ironic that despite missing its climate targets at home, the Irish Government will lead the European negotiations at COP 31. 

Clíodhna Breathnach of Praxis Artists’ Union spoke about how AI companies steal the work of artists and writers, who are already some of the lowest paid workers in the country. If our Government often boasts about Ireland’s proud literary tradition, why are they now facilitating, as Breathnach said, Tech giants to “steal human knowledge for AI and sell it back to us.” 

And finally, the brilliant Sive sang us out to close the day on a high! 

On display was a deeply felt anger and frustration at a Government which has allowed the transfer of so much power, funding and land to some of the wealthiest tech companies in the world while the rest of us struggle with soaring bills, a devastating housing crisis, and increasingly severe weather caused by climate breakdown. The message from communities and unions present was clear; we face the risks, while Big Tech takes the rewards.

But with organisation, we also know we can win. 

Marching as part of the demonstration was the local Kilmeadan community who successfully opposed a major data centre development in their village which if built, would have consumed the energy of hundreds of thousands of homes and created massive levels of pollution and gas lock-in. When the developer applied for planning permission, the community was angry to discover that the development which they had previously been told was housing and community facilities, actually came attached with a 200MW privately run data centre. 

The campaign did not simply rely on creating awareness or isolated objections. Through research, doorknocking, sustained outreach, and vibrant local protests which involved hundreds in the community and the wider county, including the Waterford Council of Trade Unions, locals ensured that the community had a vital role to play in demanding an alternative. 

For over two years, our campaign has actively sought to build meaningful links with communities facing big data centre development. Communities who are facing new data centre build out have been doing the slow and vital work of building relationships, researching, and organising to put pressure on local decision makers. 

As we have seen, lobbyists will try to downplay local concerns. They have undermined stacks of evidence-based research while shrouding resource use of their industry and refusing to comply with basic transparency requirements. They have persistently lobbied to lower standards and weaken European regulation. They have leaned in on addictive design and mass AI rollout with no option for users to opt out, and are amassing trillions in debt. 

They have painted AI as an almost magical phenomenon that can either save the planet or destroy it on a whim. But this is no more than a clever diversion to make the rest of us feel powerless, with no choice but to give in to the companies’ demands and accept reduced living conditions and ecological breakdown. But we know that real power lies in the organisation and participation of communities and workers. This a growing movement that is finding its collective voice all across the island. 

Government parties need to take note. They have an important choice to make: protect the public interest or continue to facilitate big tech’s power grab of public resources. 

Ruling out more new data centre developments through a moratorium is an urgent and sensible policy choice. We need to be able to have a national conversation on what the future of data centres in Ireland looks like; how they're powered, what they are for, how they fit into our climate law, and who really benefits. Everyone on this island deserves a warm home, affordable energy, a clean and healthy environment, and to live without fear of debt and disconnections. This is the future we will fight for. 

P.S. If you missed Saturday, or have the goo to get on the streets again for these demands, join us at the Climate Demo this Saturday 12th at 1pm, Garden of Remembrance! 

Want to learn more? 

• Read our community guide to data centres in Ireland and what we can do about them.  Contact rosi@foe.ie for a copy
• How do data centres increase our bills? Read our research on the cost of data centres to households bills 
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• Want more information on how data centres impact the environment? Read our recent statement on this issue to the AI Committee 
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• What’s the story with Private Wires? Read more about this new piece of legislation here. 
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