Join The Vultures Out Protest - Fernbank Apartments, Dundrum, 7pm, Tues, May 11th
Éirígí For A New Republic is organising a Vultures Out protest in South Dublin. Starting at 7pm on Tuesday, May 11th, the protest will take place outside of the Fernbank apartments in Dundrum. All 262 apartments in the Fernbank apartments were bought by Irish Life on behalf of its Canadian parent company Great-West Lifeco back in 2018.
Speaking from Dundrum ahead of the protest, Cathaoirleach Éirígí Brian Leeson said,
“The vulture takeover of Irish housing has exploded as a political issue over the last ten days. The coalition parties are now under more public pressure on it than ever before. It’s absolutely critical that this pressure is not only maintained, but increased, over the coming days, weeks and months.
The government cannot be allowed off the hook by making some minor tweaks to planning or taxation regulations. Anyone who is serious about the fight for housing justice must demand an outright and complete ban on the corporate ownership of housing. Anything less than an outright ban will come back to haunt this and future generations.
Éirígí protest at IRES REIT office in Sandyford, Sept 2020
We have called this protest in Dundrum because South Dublin is one of the areas that has been hardest hit by the vulture landlords. Éirígí has identified over 2,500 homes that are already owned by the vulture landlords in Dundrum and the surrounding areas. And a further 3,000 homes that the vultures have at various stages of planning and construction.
If people want to know what the corporate takeover of housing looks like, they need look no further than Dundrum, Ballinteer, Sandyford and Stillorgan, where the vulture landlords have bought up close to 100% of all new apartment developments over the last few years. And rents in this area are now consistently among the highest in the entire country.
I’m inviting people from Dundrum, the surrounding areas and from further afield to join us outside of the Fernbank apartments from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday, May 11th to send a clear message to government - the vulture landlords have got to go.”