Twenty-nine CATU branches travelled to the capital for the demonstration, including branches from every province of the island from Kerry to Derry. Over 80 organisations and community groups supported the demonstration.
Stephen Curran, spokesperson for CATU and a member in CATU Phibsboro Branch, stated: “This demonstration marks a turning point for tenants. We’re getting organised and we’re fighting back. We are done with being squeezed for some of the highest rents in the world while the Dáil and Stormont throw crumbs from the table.”
Curran continued: “Our members travelled from as far as Donegal to march today. We had 7 buses travelling from across the country. As Ireland’s only tenants and community union, we are not prepared to lose another generation to homelessness and emigration. We demand public housing, cuts to rent, and housing policy that puts the needs of the people over landlords’ profits.”
The protest heard from a range of CATU and affiliated speakers who highlighted the multiple ways the housing crisis is playing out across the island and the impact that the Government’s market–driven approach to housing has had. Crowds heard from Ber Whelan, a tenant in Cromcastle Court waiting decades for essential maintenance, and Evelyn Ndidi Nwoko, a CATU member living in direct provision being evicted into homelessness because they cannot find anywhere to rent in the communities where they have settled.
Nora Corcoran spoke about the discrimination faced by Travellers across the island and the failure of local authorities to build Traveller appropriate accommodation that has led to Travellers being heavily over-represented in the homeless figures.
Nell Buckley, a CATU member in Galway, spoke about the profound impacts that unregulated short term lets are having in their city, with rents rocketing by 70% as homes are drained from the local housing stock through the proliferation of Airbnb. Disability rights campaigner Niamh ni Hoireabhaird talked about how the housing crisis is robbing independence from adults living with a disability who are unable to find anywhere adapted for wheelchair users. And Vicky Kelly from Education Equality spoke about the impact of the housing crisis on children and children with special needs, and the urgent need for more community-based supports for families.
Conal Matthews, CATU spokesperson and member of CATU Belfast commented: “There’s tens of thousands of derelict properties North and South that could be brought into public ownership and used. The simple thing is that we have a profit-driven housing model and it does not meet the needs of the people. That’s why we marched in our thousands – our housing system must change, and we’re fed up waiting for it, CATU is organising tenants and communities to win the changes we need.”
Mair Kelly, CATU spokesperson and member in CATU Cork stated: “The Taoiseach tells us we’re a rich country yet at the same time the Minister for Housing threw his hands up recently and admitted there are about to be over 5,000 children in emergency accommodation. The thousands of people who marched on Saturday marched because they know things can be different.”
Kelly continued: “People are sick of the Government’s scapegoating, sick of excuses, sick of them writing housing policy that just enriches massive landlords. Public housing, and a focus on public-led solutions is what will end the housing crisis and give us the future we and everyone in our communities deserve.”
