Housing activists to take to the Dublin streets

HOUSING activists will gather at the Customs House this weekend for what they say is the first step towards “a new and united housing movement across the island”.

Set to be the first major housing protest since the covid pandemic hit in March, the organisers say they are determined to refocus minds.

“The more things change, the more they remain the same,” explained Patrick Nelis, a spokesperson from ‘Ireland’s Housing Action’, the organisers of this Saturday’s protest.

“This year will undoubtedly go down in the history books as a series of unprecedented events, but as the year progresses and the new coalition government beds into power, the old order has begun to reassert itself,” he stated.

“The electoral earthquake that was the General Election feels like a distant memory, but the angers and desires that drove the historic vote for change have if anything, been amplified.

“At the ballot box, people made the connection between the crisis and the political choices of Ireland’s dominant political parties.”

Mr Nelis told Northside People he believes the Covid-19 pandemic revealed how quickly the wheels of power can turn when required.

“Things that they had always insisted were impossible were suddenly delivered without fuss or argument,” he argued.

“The ban on evictions that they said was unconstitutional, was passed.

“The Rent Freeze was enforced and the money they said they had none of, was quickly dispensed to vastly expand accommodation for homeless people.

“However, imperfect these measures were and are in reality, their implementation was significant, a hammer blow to the tired old mantra of ‘There is No Alternative’.

Mr Nelis said the deaths of six homeless people in the last week of the Dáil session was a stark reminder of the reality of the housing crisis.

“We don’t want to wait around to find out what we already know about this Government, as a group of housing activists and volunteers working with homeless people, we can’t bear to see this crisis deepen any further. We believe the time to mobilise is now.

He added: “We are calling on renters, homeowners, asylum seekers, students and all those affected by the housing crisis to come together now.”

“The experiences of the water charges movement and the grassroots campaigns to repeal the Eighth Amendment show that real change comes from below, from people power.

“All are welcome to join us at 2pm this Saturday outside the Department of Housing at the Customs House.

“We believe is the first step towards a new and united housing movement across the island.”