Groups call for housing reforms at May Day event in Dublin

“Get up off your arse and fight; housing is a human right.”

It was one of the catchier chants at the May Day event in Dublin on Monday, which saw a broad range of groups march to call for increased social housing and an end to homelessness.

Groups ranging from the Social Democrats to the Communist Party of Ireland marched in the sunshine from the Garden of Remembrance to Liberty Hall. Although the main focus of the march was to call for housing reforms, the event resembled a greatest hits of public protests from the previous 12 months.

Groups demanding rights for sex workers, an end to church control of hospitals and schools, and the rescue of Moore Street from developers were all represented.

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One of the biggest cohorts were protesters demanding the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, who marched with the chant: “Same struggle, same fight, abortion rights are workers’ rights.”

Migrant rights organisations demanded an end to direct provision, while a large contingent of water charges protesters came out in support of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, who is currently on trial with others accused of the false imprisonment of the then tánaiste Joan Burton in Jobstown, Tallaght, in 2014.

As the march approached Liberty Hall, where the speeches were to take place, organisers appeared happy with the turnout, which president of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, Pat Bolger, said was the biggest in years.

Homelessness

“There were rumours that so few people would show up that they were going to let a line of traffic through,” Mr Bolger told the crowd. “We filled O’Connell Street, we filled the length of it. And we filled it because people care about housing and homelessness.”

The opening speech was given by veteran union campaigner and the secretary of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, Sam Nolan. The 87-year-old told the audience that 100 years ago the building behind him lay in ruins following the 1916 Rising but that the Irish trade union movement rose from the ashes.

He also reminded the crowd that 100 years ago “the Russian working class revolted and set up a government in contrast to the existing system. The fact that this great experiment failed after 70 years must give us pause for thought, reflection and examination but not outright condemnation.”

On the theme of the housing crisis, Fr Peter McVerry called on the Government to be willing to use compulsory purchase orders to bring empty homes back on the market.

“What the Government is doing isn’t working. The Government introduced their strategy nine months ago. Every single month since then the number of homeless people has risen and risen and risen.

200,000 empty houses

“There are almost 200,000 empty houses and apartments in this country. Many of them would be suitable for social housing. We call on the Government to give incentives to the owners to bring those empty houses back into use, and if they fail to do so, use compulsory purchase orders.

“Those houses lying empty are a scandal,” he added.

Community activist Rita Fagan criticised Minister for Housing Simon Coveney's announcement last week that he was making 800 State-owned sites available for house building.

“That means it’s going to developers,” she said. “On my estate, St Michael’s Estate, that’s 428 mortgage homes. We don’t want mortgage homes, we want public homes that people will be able to rent whether they’re in a job or not. We have to build a different vision.”