Housing activists have occupied Glebe House in Crumlin Village as part of the National Day of Action in solidarity with the Take Back the City occupations and to highlight the upcoming #RaiseTheRoof demonstration taking place at 12:30 outside Leinster House on October 3rd.
The property has been vacant for a number of years and is held by Merlin Management Limited.
People Before Profit Cllr Tina MacVeigh (Chair of the National Homeless and Housing Coalition) said, “The housing crisis in an issue for everyone. As it spins out of control the government play games with blame, spin and number-fudging. Housing activists are engaging in direct action to highlight the barbarity of vacant properties lying idle and to articulate demands that a growing majority agrees with: accelerate building of public housing on public land: either supply or we will occupy.”
Bríd Smith TD said, “Activists are challenging the idea that properties can lie vacant in the midst of a housing crisis. They recognise that the government’s commitment to the market is providing no real solutions. Successive governments since the crash have destroyed our supply of public housing and given away our public land to developers. The Take Back the City occupations have been a spark which we are now seeing all across the country as anger grows at these policies. We are calling on all those who are angered by this to join us at the housing rally at Dáil Éireann on October 3rd.”
Peter Dooley (Dublin Renters’ Union) said, “Direct actions are a real challenge to the landlords, developers and government. It has been great to see the occupations and rallies in the city centre. We need to spread this movement as much as possible. There is a lot of support in local communities for these actions. We need to resist evictions, fight for rent controls and long-term leases to provide security for tenants. Let’s get feet on the streets.”
Cllr. MacVeigh added: ‘Activists will occupy this building symbolically for 24 hours. They tell me that the building is in very good and habitable condition and could easily house two families with very little investment. I am calling on Dublin City Council to immediately engage with Merlin Management with a view to acquiring the building and putting it to use as a matter of urgency. It is morally corrupt to own a perfectly habitable building and leave it lying empty in the middle of this humanitarian crisis that is ripping families and individuals apart. To not make it available for housing is the crime, not the brave and determined housing action of these and other housing activists’.
ENDS
