CATU to rally against end of eviction ban set to expire this Friday

In response to the government’s recent decision to let the eviction ban expire at the end of March, Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) Ireland are rallying in support of reinstating the ban as well as building more public housing with a ‘Resist Your Eviction’ protest. The demonstration will take place at the Spire at 2pm this Friday, March 31st, the same day the eviction ban is set to end.

The protest is part of Housing Action Day 2023, a Europe-wide initiative organised by the European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City. This 10-day call to action aims to mobilise advocates against common threats to affordable housing, namely gentrification, privatisation of public spaces and illegitimate mortgages and debts.

“No one should be evicted, whether the eviction notice is technically legal or not,” said Aaron Downey, CATU Ireland’s national campaign coordinator. “Over the past few years we have used collective action and our strength in numbers to prevent evictions all over Ireland.”

In their protest announcement, the union points out that 4,741 evictions were issued during the third quarter of 2022, according to data from the Residential Tenancies Board. In addition, Ireland’s homelessness population has reached a new peak, with 11,754 people relying on emergency accommodations as of January.

 

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Several homelessness organisations have attempted to appeal the decision of ending the ban with little success. People Before Profit brought a bill to the Dáil in hopes of extending the ban, but the measure was ultimately defeated. PBP has announced another rally to protest the lifting of the ban, which is set to take place at the Dáil at 1pm on Saturday, April 1st.

“This heartless government is doing nothing to solve the housing crisis or protect people from the impacts of inflation and the #costoflivingcrisis,” PBP wrote on their Twitter page. “Nearly 12,000 people in Ireland are currently homeless. The situation is so bad that even homeless hostels are full."

Since forming in 2019, CATU Ireland has mobilised public pressure towards government officials to take action on the housing crisis, with a major demand being the construction of more public housing. The union has gained approximately 2,000 members in local branches across the country.

“The eviction ban is necessary but it’s not enough to properly address the housing crisis,” said Fiadh Tubridy, co-chair of the Dún Laoghaire CATU branch. “We have a range of further demands including universal public housing, rent reductions, improved standards in emergency accommodation and the abolition of Direct Provision. We encourage anyone who supports these demands to support our action on the 31st and to join CATU so we can act together and force the government to fix the problems we’re all facing.”