A Victory for Social Justice: Housing Activists Beat the Court

national | housing | news report

Tuesday February 17, 2015 21:57

by An Spréach

Eight housing activists were today acquitted by the Dublin Criminal Court of Justice, relating to a case spanning back seven months ago, when the charge against them of trespass was thrown out of court.

All eight accused had initially set about into investigating whether or not it was feasible to open up, and re-do, one of the 80 unused flats on Charlemont Street, that had been lying empty for over two years or more.

In what can only be described as the worst housing crisis in recent decades, it is nothing short of a crime against humanity that so many homes lie empty across the country.

It is quite clear that laws in Ireland are geared towards protecting the rights in property, more so than people themselves. For instance, why aren’t there any laws preventing homeless people from freezing to death on the streets, but there are plenty of laws preventing people from seeking shelter within the overabundance of empty houses and flats, around the country?

When we have 90,000 people in housing need; when there are more than 230,000 housing and apartments vacant nationwide; when 5,000 human beings are defined as homeless; when 180 people are sleeping rough in Dublin alone; when people dying on our streets, it’s time we started asking why tolerate such a class in society that causes so much pain and suffering.

Today a small blow was struck against social injustice, and the terrible housing conditions we face, tomorrow, another will bring us even further towards achieving decent, and adequate housing for all.

An Spréach.

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Comments (1 of 1)

nothings for free....

by Rua

Mon Feb 23, 2015 11:45

Nothing's for free...Imagine if we housed everybody and expected them not to pay,imagine if we gave welfare housing supplement,housing allowance to buy for the family and furniture,welfare etc - all on the cost of the state.. My question is; Who carries the burden? Is it the working and middle classes again??

Its a real idealistic approach,to expect housing for free,what about people who have no respect for housing,or trash it,travellers or drug dealers,who are housed near me now in a BIG semi detached! Now i believe the way to go is to make housing affordable,whereby people would have to pay their way but let it be affordable for even the lowest income families and single people or cohabiiting..

Im not arguing these derelict houses should be used; For example just down my street one or two blocks down there is a house that has been bought up for a cheap 80,000,no furniture in it or anything - everything ripped out. 6 months later? The elusive owner has not rented it out or anything,he is just sitting on it and the tiles on the roof are caving in,the guy who lives next door says there is now moisture on his walls because of the leaky roof next door and is now affecting his house! He bought it at a knock down price,in the hope to sell it on when another fake housing boom ramps up house prices again..

Nothing can be done because he is a private owner,if it was a council situation it would be sorted out by now.Therein lies the problem!

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A Victory for Social Justice: Housing Activists Beat the Court

Comments (1 of 1)