Back in April, rabble reported from a squat eviction protest on Manor St. This morning we received details of another eviction attempt, this time a stones throw and a skip away in the Grangegorman area of D7.
The squatters reported that Gardaí arrived down to the row of occupied empties in Lower Grangegorman last Thursday and Friday. The dilapidated houses are in an area that is expecting serious changes as the new DIT opens up the road. The squatters who had been in there for several weeks have been working on repairing the homes.
Sam, who has been living in the middle house for several weeks commented:
“With the number of empty houses in Ireland estimated at over 300,000,with 600 ghost estates and up to 5,000 homeless people in Ireland at any one time, it makes sense that these empty houses become homes for people. That is exactly what we are doing, squatting empty houses in Dublin.”
Another squatter, Lee added:
“The house had fallen into disrepair, with broken windows, rotting floorboards and mould growing on the walls. When squatters move into a house they make it their home, they fix these things, they work together.”
“The idea is simple: it is better that a house has inhabitants who take care of it than for nobody to take care of it. Shelter is a basic human need and it doesn’t make sense that there are landlords who own more property than they can use. Here in Ireland the council is supposed to provide housing, but the list for housing is absurdly long – it often takes years to get yourself a gaff, while thousands of houses lie empty. Squatting is an act of resistance: resistance against ridiculously high rents, resistance against greed and resistance against the destruction of our communities.”
He went on to say:
“Two men, one of whom claimed to be the owner of the property, kicked in the door of our home on Thursday afternoon with a hammer in his hand while some of us were eating lunch and others doing much-needed repair and decoration work. They ordered everyone to leave the house and called the Gardaí. They said that they wanted to see ‘vacant properties’, presumably wanting them to return to their rotting, delapidated condition. The left-most house in the row, our house, was then boarded-up immediately.”
Jess explained what happened on Friday in a press release:
“In the afternoon, agents claiming to be acting on behalf of the alleged ‘owners’ (supposedly a well-known international investment bank) called to the other two houses and informed us that they were boarding them up. They called the Gardaí and ordered us all to leave. Naturally, we chose to ignore the direction of these unidentified, aggressive strangers and remain in our home.”
Jay concluded and appealed for support:
“We are still unsure whether the authorities will keep their promise to return on Wednesday, and so we’re asking everyone who can to make themselves available to come and support us in resisting this eviction from our home when and if they do. We want to invite everyone to come down here on Wednesday and talk to us and hear what we have to say, hang out with us. We live here and we’re not leaving. Squatting is a way of empowering people, instead of giving money to a faceless landlord, we are taking back the city for everyone.”
Comments
“Here in Ireland the council is supposed to provide housing.”
Here in ireland, you’re supposed to provide housing for yourself. If you cannot do so, then the council should step in and put a roof over your head until such time that you can find work and qualify for a mortgage like the rest of us.
I don’t believe you have a right to simply step into a house and declare ‘this is mine now’.
You have a very small view of things. It’s speculators and profiteers taking advantage of the system that has the place in the shambles it’s in. Anyone who hoards wealth and leaves properties rot while people are going homeless should have their property taken from them in my view.
I don’t think I do have a small view, with respect. Why should some of us have to pay for a mortgage while others can simply kick their way into an unoccupied property and declare ‘this is mine now’? I believe in private property rights and believe that they should be respected. If these guys want a roof over their head, dedicate their time to looking for a job so that they can pay rent. In the meantime, as a temporary measure, avail of unemployment assistance and rent allowance. As a temporary measure.
So you pay a mortgage, and that means others should be homeless? Ever hear the phrase ‘know your enemies’. I know some of these people and they were in desperate situations before they had a safe, warm place to lie down at night. And just because you ‘believe’ in private property doesn’t mean a load of young people should be on the streets. Also, I LOVE the ‘rights should be protected’ mantra. I suppose that also includes Shells ‘right’ to own every drop of oil and gas in Ireland (previously their right to hang to death those that opposed them in Nigeria), McDonald’s ‘right’ to buy parts of the rain forest and fell the trees for grazing cows and the European Unions ‘right’ to exploit the whole of the African continent’s raw resources. I don’t care that you support and respect the rights of a minority of humans to own the wealth production of the world and your opinion leads to ordinary exploitation, mass repression and in some cases, genocide (Israel’s legal and religious ‘right’ to the land of Palestine (or the West Bank to be more specific). (Oh, but I suppose this is somehow different to what you’re saying, I’m sure you’ll explain to us why that is). Rights, rights rights, blah blah blah…
Your recommendations are also nonsense, I/we’ve tried those routes and they don’t always work, there is actually an economic crisis, don’t know if anyone told you about it. Also, you complain about having to pay etc, but you actually recommend people go to a private landlord, and go on the dole and get rent allowance and get all that state cash and inject it directly into greedy, scummy landlords. You’re the advice merchant of the decade!
People like you make me sick, go complain about the tens of thousands of empty buildings around the country owned by disgustingly wealthy asshole who literally contribute nothing to people generally speaking. Complain about the private banks imposing economic slavery on this island, based on the fact that they went the legal route. But maybe we should just respect their rights? – weird, is it as obscure for you to read back over your driveling nonsense, or are you going to come back and tell me that everything I mentioned is somehow irrelevant?
Complete piss-take..
Well done to those who refused to wait and for not bowing down to the liberal nonsense like this person has vomitted out. Solidarity with all who refuse to conform and thank you to the people brave enough to get off their knees, it is refreshing.
So we’ve gone from taking control of a gaff in Grangegorman to Israel in the space of one angry, rambling comment. Wow. I genuinely don’t even know where to start, such is the extent of your fanatacism.
I would suggest that next time, should you want to engage someone in a bit of debate, you do so in a civil manner, because it’s very difficult to be receptive to the points you’re making when all I can think of is what a nasty little headcase you appear to be.
“I’m entitled to take this house because Shell and McDonalds and Israel”. Yeah okay then. Goodnight pal.
Nicely fobbed off. I see you got straight to the point in defense of the nonsense you said earlier. ‘Nasty little headcase’/’civil manner’. Read back over stuff you write first.
should probably point out that these properties actually have no owners this probably isn’t been taken into account.
many other people have different views, i am sickened at the idea of leaving property unoccupied. this is a good thing, because it means that people are taking matters into their own hands and are working together to shape their own needs and wants, is that not better than just laying around unemployed, broke, living in a crumby place wanting a job or something to do?these doings show that it demonstrates the incapability of our councils to listen to what people want to do with these properties, because…we already have seen that the banks who possess a large amount of these properties don’t have very good public relations skills, and neither do the landlords if they are just letting the places fall apart. and whats wrong with trying to change the way these things operate?
Who decides at what point a place is fair game for squatting? What of the rest of us who work really hard to earn what they’re getting for free? I don’t see this as being fair. I just don’t.
I understand you concerns sdk but the reality of the situation we are in is that we are living through the end of what was a massive drive to build up this city which was halted by the worst global economic crash we have ever seen. Buildings all over this country have been lying empty for nearly a decade that where build as part of “development” or supposed “regeneration” projects. Many of these properties don’t even have people to manage what is going to happen to them, with some of them being owned by companies who have gone into receivership, others by private developers who have not got the resources to keep up the properties on their books others by people who have ran away from their properties because they fear the bank who the owe more to than the properties are worth. If you lived beside a house the was being left to rot or beside an empty block of apartments or empty businesses then the value of your property would decrease immensely. Other places across the world have a much more positive attitude towards the taking over and putting to use of unused buildings and it is encouraged in certain places. There are examples of whole areas around the world who have benefited for social, cultural and economic growth due to people being encouraged to make use of unused spaces. Even government organizations are slowly coming round to this idea with projects such as Granby park, where a derelict site was put to temporary use, Nama have been trying, with little sucess to get projects of the ground, where nama properties are used for social, cultural or artistic uses temporarily in order to stimulate areas deprived of any activity. The main difference between people who squat buildings to put them for use and organizations who spend copious amounts of money to get projects of the ground to use such place is that people who squat “just do it” they bypass the bureaucratic bullshit and the red tape that has this country and many others at an economic standstill.
Who decides at what point a place is fair game for squatting? -The people of this country whos back have been put against the wall by a government who push through bills and make corrupt deals on behalf of the people against the wishes of the majority of people.
What of the rest of us who work really hard to earn what they’re getting for free. Is you think it is so easy for people who ‘get for free what you work so hard for then go try take over some unused property and maybe you will see that is not so easy. Put jealousy aside and realize that your hard work and the money you work hard for is going into the hands of the wrong people, instead of being reinvested in the future of this country it is being handed away to financial so called elites….. this need to stop now and actions such as “squatting” is only going to see more support and become more widespread as we come through the collapse of the financial system.
‘What of the rest of us who work really hard to earn what they’re getting for free?’
Firstly, it is a choice. A choice often made based on social and political beliefs.
I choose to work and I know how hard it is to get a full time job which doesn’t disappear after a year from business closure. I’m heading towards trying to get my third job this year after reduced hours forced me onto part time dole. I haven’t been having as much luck this time round. Jobs are not a plenty. So it is not as simple as get a job.
Renting prices have risen again. I’m still trying to help some homeless couch surfing friends to get housing relatively close to dublin at affordable prices. Many haven’t found any after 6 months! Rented housing is not readily available to low income people.
There is empty housing which is owned by people who aren’t using it. Squatters are not stealing the property. They are putting it to use. The owner has a right to get rid of the squatters if they have an alternate use for it. But I cannot ultimately see the harm in someone using a space for shelter when they are in need of it.
As to it not being fair, squatters work hard to get shelter. Often houses aren’t ready to live in. They have to repair them and live in harsh conditions, never knowing when they will be kicked out. They sometimes pay the price of comfort and safety for their lifestyles, so I think they still have to work hard to get what they have.
Totally behind you. Wish I was there to hold down the fort. Good luck my friends.
@sdk – “Why should some of us have to pay for a mortgage while others can simply kick their way into an unoccupied property and declare ‘this is mine now’? ” My response to this statement is yes this is exactly what people should be doing all across the country. This is basically whats being done on an industrial scale by large financial institutions, bank and organizations like nama, it seems to be acceptable when people take over property using paperwork and bureaucratic methods. People dont seem to bat an eyelid when properties all over this country are handed over to foreign investors who have no interest in the development of this country or when banks send in sheriffs and bailiffs to take homes from families.
There is a serious need for people to take a step back and look at the situation we are in. Across the world we are seeing the largest financial collapse that has ever been, on of the repercussion of this is empty buildings with “no owners” it should be encouraged that people start to make use of the resources around us especially those buildings that have been empty since the before the recession began if it is not done now the problems with a lot of these building will go beyond repair.
squatting is exploding all over the world especially places which experienced boom years but are now coping with the global financial collapse. Squatting does not just have to be for the purpose of accommodation many people take over buildings to set up music/art centers, community spaces, social centers, or even businesses in areas that are becoming deprived of activity.
I would be a believer that there is going to be a large increase in the amount of buildings “squatted” in Ireland over the next few years and people with begin to see that is is not all about just people getting a roof over their head is is about keeping this city from decaying and creating alternative options for using unused space in time of financial depression.
half of this publication is fabricated as i was an actual resident of the evicted house and nobody from the evicted house gave this information to anyone in any newspaper or anyone else as we don’t feel the need to tell the whole world our business. there is no ‘lee’ and there were no males even living in the house. political squatters from the other house seem to feel the need to speak for people who are just trying to make a home because they want to make a political scenario of everything. the evicted house was just people trying to live and keep quiet. it would be nice if people could respect this.
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