Protestors: We’ll risk breaking law to end housing crisis

By Ellie O’Byrne

Only direct action will now solve a housing crisis that the Government has lost control of. That is the view of protestors who took to the streets on Saturday for a national day of action by the Take Back The City movement.

There may have been a turnout of almost 1,000 people in Dublin, but in Cork only a handful of housing activists braved the rain to make their mark on the housing movement’s national day of action.

An information stall manned by members of Connolly Youth Movement (CYM), the UCC-based communist youth group, was set up for the afternoon outside Bishop Lucey Park.

There was no protest march, with Cork activists saying they plan on joining the ‘Raise the Roof for Housing’ rally outside Leinster House on October 3.

Take Back The City, the network of Dublin housing rights campaigners who have been occupying vacant properties in the capital, announced 21 different rallies and events all over the country would take place on Saturday, saying the housing crisis was an “islandwide problem.”

I’ll be on @NewstalkFM with @gavreilly shortly to discuss yesterday’s #TakeBackTheCity protest in Dublin that brought the city centre to a standstill for an hour. Do you agree with the protests? #NTFM pic.twitter.com/cKI3Cn2rKB

— Barry Whyte (@BarryWhyte85) September 23, 2018

CYM spokesman Ollie McMorrow was keen to highlight that Cork activists have also been occupying buildings as a form of protest.

Members of CYM were themselves evicted by armed gardaí from a vacant property they had occupied in Cork City Centre at the end of July, over a week before the first Take Back The City occupation at Summerhill in Dublin. Five members continue to squat another property near UCC, which they have occupied for over a year.

“The Dublin protests have been taking place for just six weeks and have garnered a lot more attention,” said Mr McMorrow.

“It’s the capital city: If something happens there everyone knows about it. But a national day of action is positive to see.”

He said that CYM was demanding “public housing built on public land, for the people of Ireland, with rents set in relation to income”.

“We’re not afraid of breaking the law,” said Mr McMorrow. “We will not wait for this Government to take action any more. Instead we will take direct action, and we are urging others to do the same.”

He slammed the recent actions of the gardaí in evictions, including sending members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) to evict members of CYM in July.

“The ERU were set up for gangland crimes, not to evict families from B&Bs and batter young activists who are peacefully protesting,” he said.

“These events confirm that the State is willing to use all its resources to silence the unrest, in the face of a crisis that they have chosen to allow.”

Less than 20 members of the public were present for Mr McMorrow’s speech, including Kieran Logan, from Cork city. Mr Logan said he wanted to lend his support to the movement because he sees the number of homeless Irish people rising.

“I work on Drinan St, next to the homeless service and I’m fed up of seeing the growing queues outside waiting for vouchers for emergency accommodation,” he said.

“Years ago, there might be a couple of homeless people there and often they had addiction issues and the like. Now, I’m seeing families queuing up.” Mr Logan said he supported the calls for groups to occupy vacant buildings.

“I feel it’s a legitimate statement of civil disobedience at this stage. As far as I know, the activists have been entirely peaceful.”

Cork City councillor Fiona Ryan of the Anti-Austerity Alliance also said she fully supported the occupation of derelict properties as a form of direct action in the face of what she said was a national “housing emergency.”

She said Cork residents, including many students, were being hit by housing issues as hard as people in Dublin.

“This turnout isn’t necessarily indicative of a lack of support,” Ms Ryan said.

“There isn’t the same level of organisation in Cork that we’re seeing in Dublin.