On Saturday 28 March Dublin City Centre saw a significant march organised and led by the Community Action Tenants Union against council, HAP, RAS and Approved Housing Body rent hikes.
Marchers demanded that Dublin City Council drop the Rent Hike which Labour, Greens, and Government parties supported when they voted for the Council's annual budget. Their decision will mean rents will rise by an average of €100 per household per month from April 6th. Some households are seeing much larger increases of several hundred euro per month.
People Before Profit members were engaged in extensive local work in the lead-up to the march - organising doorknocks with our petition, hosting public meetings, protesting and supporting CATU campaigning across Dublin.
The march received strong coverage in the media - with reports on RTÉ, Virgin Media News and in several newspapers.
Cllr Conor Reddy marched with people from his local area and CATU branch and said that people felt 'empowered and energised... It was something they felt was really worth doing,' adding 'this isn't going to be a short fight- it's going to be a long one.' He encouraged tenants to attend the protest called by CATU at 5:30pm on Monday April 13th outside City Hall before the April meeting of DCC.
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Dublin Central by-election Candidate and a member of his local CATU branch said: 'Absolutely brilliant turnout against the rent hikes imposed by Dublin City Council. People are coming here with a very clear message: People cannot afford to pay these rent hikes. We need to raise standards on maintenance but we can not be forcing the poorest people in society to pay for it... They want to get out and fight this and the next opportunity is when the council is sitting 13 April. That's a Monday. Come out and support the next protest. And join CATU."
People Before Profit will continue their work in communities across the City, signing more people up to our petition and encouraging further protest.
