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Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Dublin in the latest campaign to highlight Ireland\u2019s housing crisis.<\/p>\nThousands of people have taken to the streets of Dublin in the latest campaign to highlight Ireland\u2019s housing crisis.<\/p>\n
The protest was organised by the National Homeless and Housing Coalition, a collective group of campaigners that includes unions and homeless activists, who are calling for better housing conditions in Ireland.<\/p>\n
It comes days after the Housing Department released its homeless figures for October, which now stands at 9,724, a rise of 26 people.<\/p>\n
Protesters gathered at the Garden of Remembrance before making their way through the city.<\/p>\n
Tina McVeigh, People Before Profit co-chairperson, said that the homeless figures released earlier this week are \u201conly the sharp edge of the wedge\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the crowd, she said: \u201cBehind those figures are tens of thousands of people all over the country that are effected by this crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe policies of this Government only help the vulture funds, the landlords and developers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do not help the people and they do not build the public homes that we need to house our people. People are disgusted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are demanding radical action and we are back out on the streets to remind them that we are still here. We are not going away.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Housing Minister) Eoghan Murphy and Fine Gael tried to tell us that everything was OK. They talk about the economy and they want us to think we all have highly paid jobs. They want us to believe that everything is OK. We are saying it\u2019s not OK.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t talk about things being OK when they are 3,725 children that will spend this Christmas in emergency accommodation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The protest comes two months after 10,000 people gathered outside Leinster House for the Raise the Roof Rally.<\/p>\n
Brian McLoughlin from Inner City Helping Homeless said that up to 15,000 people took part in Saturday\u2019s protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are out on the streets for the simple reason that crisis has reached a national emergency level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 10,000 officially homeless but the reality is the figure is probably double that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last four years the number of children facing Christmas in emergency accommodation has gone up 450%.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere hasn\u2019t been enough public housing being built on public land and people have had enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the months go on people are starting to realize that it\u2019s a much bigger problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coalition is putting viable solutions together and it\u2019s up to the Government to take them on board but so far it hasn\u2019t happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alibhe Smyth, activist and co-director of the Together For Yes campaign, also addressed the crowd saying: \u201cThis is a profound injustice that is being done to so many people, to families, to single parent families, to young and old.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are dealing not just with a crisis but with a tragedy of major proportions and we will not stand for it.\u201d<\/p>\n