Last Saturday an illegal eviction was carried out in Waterford in the presence of Gardaí who refused to stop or arrest those involved. Instead, they arrested a tenant supporter who was chanting about illegal evictions.
The eviction took place at 2 Queens Terrace in a property owned by Mircea Macavei, who got his son-in-law to carry out the eviction, accompanied by a few heavies.
Joan Quirke, a local activist with People Before Profit stood in the doorway while the eviction took place.
The door had been kicked in, but the Gardai showed little interest in investigating who had done this.
Instead, they stood around while a number of individuals moved tenants’ belongings onto the street.
In recent times, a Garda spokesperson expressed outrage at a Spicebag picture that portrayed Gardaí acting like the old Royal Irish Constabulary.
The Waterford eviction shows how accurate this portrayal was.
