Activists to protest in Dublin over housing crisis after Phibsborough eviction

A housing activist outside the Phisboroughproperty where nine tenants were evicted during the week. Chief executive of Inner City Helping Homelessness (ICHH) Anthony Flynn told the Irish Examiner the eviction was deemed invalid.  Picture: Sasko Lazarov / Rollingnews.ie

Renters, asylum seekers, and homeless and housing activists will gather outside the Custom House this afternoon at 2pm with a list of demands to end the housing crisis. 

These include building universal public housing on public land, an end to direct provision and a restoration of a ban on evictions to 2021.

Housing protest 2pm this Saturday 15th August at the Custom House.

For all concerned about the homeless, renters, co-living developments, Traveller housing, ending direct provision, evictions; and who want public housing built on public land. #homesforall pic.twitter.com/hRxqHM6m0F

— Homeless & Housing Coalition (@_HousingCrisis) August 14, 2020

It comes after tenants who were evicted from a privately owned house in Phisborough in Dublin this week regained access to the building. 

Video emerged showing security staff moving the tenants' belongings out onto the street.

"I've told you already, it's not my responsibility if you're homeless" says the Garda to one of the 9 tenants illegally evicted last night in Phibsboro.

It is, however, their responsibility to oversee the eviction apparently. (No, it's not) pic.twitter.com/sTUwJpQBgf

— Dublin Central Housing Action (@D_C_H_A) August 13, 2020

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon questioned the presence of the gardaí at the property and wrote to garda management about the role of An Garda Síochána during evictions. 

“There appears to be no legal grounds on which gardaí were there in such numbers, other than to support the landlord in evicting tenants on very dubious legal grounds,” Mr Gannon said in a letter to Chief Superintendent McMenamin.

I’ve written to the Garda Chief Superintendent asking for the legal basis on which the Gardaí were aiding an eviction without court order in Phibsborough last night. I’ll update once a response is received. pic.twitter.com/iDlI7EXqX2

— Gary Gannon TD (@GaryGannonTD) August 13, 2020

Organisers of the protest said policies the government always insisted were impossible --- such as the ban on evictions and rent freezes --- were suddenly delivered without fuss or argument once Covid-19 struck.

One of the organisers of today's demonstration Patrick Nelis said spending on social housing was slashed between 2008 and 2012 --- and has not been restored. 

Mr Nelis said: "Government policies for the last 10 years have caused this. The cut to social housing alone was from €1.39bn to €390m between 2008 and 2012 and that has not been restored. 

"They're not going to restore it now so we need to get feet on the street to demand this."

Earlier this week, Chief executive of Inner City Helping Homelessness (ICHH) Anthony Flynn warned of an “avalanche” of people becoming homeless after the government ended a Covid-19 emergency ban on evictions less than two weeks ago.