Anti-eviction campaigner supports couple

An anti-eviction campaigner who helped to stall a repossession in Laois this year has backed the couple evicted from their five-bedroom home in Killiney.

Ben Gilroy of the Defend our Homes League, whose YouTube video of the Laois eviction has had over 326,000 views, said it was not right to discriminate against people just because they were well-off.

“I don’t know the ins and outs of this case with regards to the couple’s finances, but I can’t imagine a man and woman would be that upset if they were not genuine.

“They say they tried to work things out with the bank to no avail. Yes, they got a huge loan. Perhaps they got carried away as a lot of people did, but they did not do this on their own. We need a bit of equity here. The banks got bailed out so there has to be something for the people, too.”

Mr Gilroy stressed, however, that he did not know the Kellys’ financial situation. “If it turns out this couple do have the means to pay I would be appalled and of course this should not happen, but we can’t be against people just because they had money in the past and were successful.”

Mr Gilroy said he had watched the video of their eviction and had found it “very distasteful”. “If we had seen the people responsible for this mess like [bankers] Mr Drumm or Mr Fingleton hauled out of their homes and brought to justice, then it would not be so bad, but we have not.”

He said there had to be another way to deal with these situations.

“I was dealing with a man who was summoned to court because of arrears. He had never been in court in his life and was told it would cost him €25,000 for a barrister, but yet criminals are offered free legal aid. So he didn’t go to court and now is under threat of eviction because he couldn’t explain to a judge in 10 minutes why he should be allowed to keep him home. Where is the justice there?”

On the Anti-Eviction Taskforce Facebook page yesterday, one woman wrote: “Absolutely shocking, brought a tear to my eye. Why was there need for so many guards in the first place? And as for that sheriff he should be charged with assault, dragging that man like that. How dare he put his hands on him? This has to stop.”