Large-scale protests outside Leinster House on day Eviction Ban lifts

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital to decry the government's decision.

The contentious lifting of the government's eviction ban took place at midnight on Friday, bringing an end to the pandemic-induced policy. Over the course of this week, the coalition government has received a barrage of criticism from its political opponents. On Wednesday, Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen saw his comments labelled as "disgraceful" after he compared extending the eviction ban to offering children free sweets. [caption id="attachment_771651" align="alignnone" width="640"] Hundreds of protestors gathered outside Leinster House on Saturday. (Credit: Rolling News)[/caption] Veteran campaigner for the homeless, Fr. Peter McVerry, was another who vented his frustrations with the ending of the ban, after he described the "horror movie" reality that was facing many tenants across the country. Gathering outside Leinster House, several hundred protestors braved the torrential weather to air their grievances with the government. In an attempt to quell the ever-worsening housing crisis, the government has introduced a number of new policies such as the tenant-in-situ scheme. This was a scheme which aimed to empower local authorities to purchase properties from landlords looking to leave the rental market, with the aim of securing more emergency accommodation for the state. [caption id="attachment_771652" align="alignnone" width="640"] A protester holds a sign reading "Housing is a human right". (Credit: Rolling News)[/caption] However, the scheme ultimately failed, when just 3% of properties offered to local authorities were purchased. Much was made of the news that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also became a landlord a number of weeks ago, with the timing of the news resulting in a PR nightmare for the Fine Gael leader. Fears have also now arisen as to where those impacted by the lifting of the eviction ban will be housed, with many hotels no longer offering their services to the state given the return of the tourism trade after the pandemic. With current figures placing over 11,700 people in emergency accommodation the day prior to the evection ban ending, the state's resources look set to be stretched even thinner. *Feature Image by Leah Farrell/ Rolling News. Related Articles:

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• As the Eviction Ban ends, Peter McVerry describes “horror movie” reality