Draft:Cables of Resistance

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Cables of Resistance was a three-day anti-capitalist movement tech conference that took place in Berlin, Germany from 10th till 12th of April 2026 at Franz-Mehring-Platz 1.[1]. The conference covered strategies to resist the rising harmful effects of big tech on the environment[2], rising right-wing globally in the 21th century [3]and re-militarization across Europe.

The conference was attended by around 900 participants to discuss strategies and ideas for resisting the expansion of digital infrastructures with focus in data centers [1] driven by the rise of demand of artificial intelligence and their effects on democratic systems, climate and resources allocation.

The conference included workshops, panel discussions, art exhibition, and direct action planning. A collaborative manifesto was presented and updated during the event, calling for the decommodification and democratic governance of the digital platforms.[4]

Background and Context

The conference took place during a growing demand for AI computing power which led to an increased expansion of data centers in Germany and worldwide[5]. According to German government plans, national data processing capacity was projected to double by 2030[6]. Discussions at the conference discussed how this expansion posed a threat to the environment, resources allocation, increased energy consumption with limited economic returns to the local communities.[7]

Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg have emerged as a major hub[8] for so-called "hyperscale" data centers facilities, which are data centers with high electricity demands of over 100 megawatts[9].

Similar concerns were raised regarding Frankfurt am Main, already among the world's top location for data center with 175 data centers[10], where grid capacity constraints have reportedly led operators to install on-site fossil fuel generators[11]

Organization and Participation

Cables of Resistance was organized by a coalition of digital rights groups, climate activists, labor organizers, and academic collectives, including Berlin Tech Workers Coalition, Berlin vs Amazon, Tesla den Hahn Abdrehen and Lause Berlin[12].

Participants included activists, researchers, journalists, community organizers, and representatives from NGOs from Ireland, France, Taiwan, Australia, Argentina and other European countries [13][14].

Manifesto

In advance of the conference, the organizing team published a manifesto[12].

Key Themes and Discussions[4]

The conference covered the following themes:

  • Climate and energy with focus on data centers
  • Post-capitalism and socialization of digital platforms
  • Connection between rising facism and big tech
  • Political organizing

Cultural Programming

An art exhibition "Art against Big Tech" adjacent to the conference took place between 10th and 17th of April.

See Also

References

  1. Schneider, Maurice. "Verkabelung des Widerstands: Gemeinsam gegen Big Tech". nd-aktuell.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  2. https://www (2025-11-13). "AI has an environmental problem. Here's what the world can do about that". www.unep.org. Retrieved 2026-04-28. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  3. https://www.tni.org/en/mapping-fascism
  4. "Cables of Resistance Program Schedule".
  5. "Datacenter Outlook Germany 2025/26 | German Datacenter Association". www.germandatacenters.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  6. "Mehr Rechenpower für Deutschland | Bundesregierung". Die Bundesregierung informiert | Startseite (in German). 2026-03-18. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  7. "Wo sich lokaler Widerstand gegen den KI-Hype formiert". netzpolitik.org (in German). 2026-04-17. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  8. "Data centers in Berlin".
  9. Smalley, Phill Powell, Ian (2024-03-21). "What is a hyperscale data center? | IBM". www.ibm.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Data centers list in Frankfurt am Main".
  11. Jungblut, Sarah-Indra. "Germany's Data Center Boom is Pushing the Power Grid to its Limits". AlgorithmWatch. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  12. "Cables of Resistance -- A movement conference". cableresist.de. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  13. "„KI wollen wir in unserer befreiten Welt nicht haben"". netzpolitik.org (in German). 2026-04-09. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  14. Wahmkow, Jonas (2026-04-12). "Konferenz Cables of Resistance: Sand im Getriebe des Rechenzentrums". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2026-04-28.