Second Nama-building occupation ends
The activists, calling themselves Premier Love Project, had taken over a building in Finglas and urged others to take similar action.
In a Facebook video, they had invited homeless people who had been on council housing lists for 10 years or more to take up residence at the 60-unit apartment block.
But gardaí were called to the building at the former Premier Dairies site by security officers. The entrance of the building had been damaged and was being repaired yesterday evening.
In a video announcing the occupation, one of the alleged organisers, Colin McGettrick, outlined short-lived plans for the building.
“We are offering housing to people who are living in desperate situations, people that this Government has failed to look after, people living in tents and vans and so on,” he said.
Early yesterday, he appealed for support saying they needed 20 to 30 volunteers “to work the doors of this place”.
They had yet to kit out the building, he said, and so homeless people were not yet occupying the space.
Mr McGettrick spent a week helping out at Apollo House but said the Premier Love Project was a separate entity. He is on the housing list for 17 years and has not been housed.
He accused the Government of allowing people to “die on the streets” while they “bailed out bankers”.
Earlier this week, Home Sweet Home, the group behind the Apollo House occupation, vowed to continue its campaign against homelessness — and to take it nationwide. The High Court had, last week, ordered the residents to vacate the premises by January 11 after an action brought by receivers.
The campaign group and Irish Housing Network are not ruling out seeking an extension to the court-mandated deadline. Apollo House has been occupied since December 15 and up to 40 homeless people were staying in the building this week.
