Protests Against AI Data Centers Held at Over 100 U.S. Sites as More Than 1,400 Facilities Already Built or Approved

Americans held protests against AI data centers on Saturday in Kenilworth, New Jersey, and more than 100 other locations nationwide. Demonstrations occurred from Wasilla, Alaska, to Naples, Florida, with Texas hosting 18 events and New Jersey holding two. In Kenilworth, a crowd gathered outside the municipal court around 10 a.m.

To oppose a $1.8 billion project approved by the local planning board in May of the previous year. A petition to halt construction gained over 12,000 signatures in April. The borough has about 8,500 residents.

Protesters used noise makers and colored chalk while marching through rain later in the day. Some carried signs, including one that read, "You think this is pressure? " Amy Kremer, who leads the nonprofit Humans First, helped organize the Kenilworth demonstration.

A former Tea Party member, she cofounded Women for Trump and participated in the Republican National Committee. She also helped organize the January 6, 2021, rally for President Donald Trump. " She said the technology has been built on American data with American taxpayer dollars, American energy, and American land.

In a post on X, she wrote that communities have the right to ask what they are giving up and getting in return, adding that America is not for sale. Kremer said each community should have a choice in what is placed locally rather than supporting a nationwide or statewide moratorium. She stated that Congress bears responsibility to listen to and protect the American people.

More than 1,400 AI data centers had been built or approved for construction by the end of 2025. The Trump administration backed the Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative to build more data centers and accelerate federal permitting. Democratic Reps.