Report & Photos From Dublin Housing Protest
Éirígí activists and supporters joined a several-hundred-strong housing protest in Dublin City Centre on Saturday (August 15). Organised by Ireland’s Housing Action 32, the protest came just days after video footage of a heavy-handed, Garda-backed eviction on Berkeley Road went viral on social media.
Housing protest assembles at the Custom House
Speakers who addressed the crowd at the Custom House assembly point included Patrick Nelis of Ireland’s Housing Action 32, Pól O’Scanaill of the 1916 Societies, Kieran Mahon of Solidarity, Gerry Carney of Inner City Helping Homeless, Conor Reddy of People Before Profit and Memet Uludag of United Against Racism.
Éirígí information and petition stall at the Custom House
The protest then made its way across the Talbot Memorial Bridge and up along the south quays of the Liffey before turning back onto O’Connell Street Bridge where the protest stopped, blocking the full width of the bridge to road and LUAS traffic.
March makes its way across the Matt Talbot Bridge, with the IFSC tax haven in the background
Once on the bridge, the crowd chanted housing justice slogans while waiting for the PA system to be set up. Speakers on the bridge included Damien Farrell from Dublin 8 Housing Action, Julieann Kelly from March for Justice Ireland and Cathaoirleach Éirígí Brian Leeson. You can view Leeson’s speech here.
Flags in the wind and Housing Justice Is Possible banner on O’Connell Bridge
Following the O’Connell Bridge stop, the protest then made its way to Mountjoy Garda station to protest against the role the Gardaí played in the Berkeley Road eviction. Speakers here included Peter Dooley from the Dublin Renters Union, Deirdre Gilsenan from Ireland’s Housing Action 32 and Theresa Chimamkpam, one of tenants that was evicted from the Berkeley Road property.
Dublin 8 Housing Action Committee / Altogether Now Homeless Outreach banner on O’Connell Bridge
Éirígí has been actively campaigning for Universal Public Housing since 2015. UP Housing is the only measure that can permanently end the housing crisis and transform Irish society in the process. You can find out more about UP Housing here. And if you’re ready to join the fight for UP Housing and a New Republic, you can do so here.
Cull The Vultures!