Opponents of data center construction held 142 protests across 42 states on Saturday in the first nationwide effort to channel opposition to the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The protests were coordinated by HumansFirst, an organization co-founded by a former leader of the modern “Tea Party” movement, which is linked to the right wing of the U.S. Republican Party. The Tea Party compares the growing opposition to data centers with the right-wing populist movement that emerged in 2009 to protest what it considered excessive tax burdens and government overreach following the 2007-2008 subprime financial crisis.
The core of the protesters’ demands is the “unaccountable” construction of data centers and an “unacceptable infringement on our freedom.