ATUC activists join thousands to protest "dirty data centres"

ATUC delegates and supporters travelled to Edinburgh on Saturday 14 November, to join 75 organisations and community groups in opposing Data AI Centres. 

They joined around 6,000 protesters to march down the Royal Mile to a rally outside the Scottish Parliament. 

The Edinburgh March and Rally was part of a Europe wide wave of protests to “Stop Dirty Data Centres”, with over 70 demonstrations taking place in 15 countries this month. It was organised by a coalition of groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland, Action to Protect Rural Scotland and numerous local campaign groups protesting data centres, including in Dumfries & Galloway, Edinburgh, Larbert and more.

Marchers brought a wide variety of different concerns around AI data centres, in addition to highly publicised environmental impacts.

Anti-war groups highlighted the growing use of AI in military settings, while housing and anti-poverty groups were concerned about the impact a proliferation of data centres could have on household energy bills. Trade unions pointed out that rather than provide jobs, AI growth is actually making working conditions more insecure.

At least 23 proposals for huge AI data centres have been submitted by big tech developers in Scotland, with many grassroots community campaigns opposing them formed in response. The march and rally sought to escalate pressure on the Scottish Government, who campaigners feel have not done enough to mitigate the potential harms of the data centres.

Charities are demanding that the Scottish Government publicly consult on these plans for AI data centres before making decisions to approve them, in a ‘national conversation’ where people across Scotland can have their say.