Eviction Ban Fallout : Part One - Waterford

This is the first in a series of articles from Rupture covering the fallout from the government’s ending of the eviction ban. This first piece focuses on the high profile illegal eviction of tenants in Waterford earlier this month. Abandoned by the government, facing violence and intimidation from their landlord, and the Gardaí, community activists were on hand to show solidarity. 

Scríobha ag Seamus O Miadghaigh

On the 9th of September at Queens Terrace in Waterford, a group of men associated with the landlord of a property in which a young working-class couple lived carried out an unlawful eviction. Heavies entered this young couple's house and threw their belongings onto the sidewalk outside and intimidated the tenants. Of course, this is not a new occurrence in landlord Ireland (especially since the lifting of the eviction ban) however what was shocking in the eyes of many ordinary people was the fact that the Gardai would arrive on the scene and assist those carrying out this illegal eviction.

For context, the young couple had their rent paid and were law-abiding tenants in every sense. Here’s a breakdown of what happened.

The couple received an eviction notice, which they sought advice on to ensure it was valid. In response they sought help from the likes of the Residential Tenancies Board and charities like Threshold. Within an email shared by The Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), Threshold stated that the tenants had “no obligation to move-out”. Thus, they stayed in their home. 

The landlord’s response to this legal protection was to hire heavies and to illegally evict the tenants. The tenants would ask for help from the Gardaí - hoping that the supposed enforcers of ‘law and order’ would save them from being made homeless under this illegal and forceful eviction carried out by hired-thugs. Unfortunately, as is much too common- the Gardaí found themselves on the side of private interests, seeing the eviction through and even assisting the heavies. Shockingly (according to one of the tenants) it would be the Gardaí who would eventually kick down their door.

In response, the community came out to support the couple,  as many people gathered to protest and call out the illegal nature of this eviction. Throughout the course of the eviction, which started around midday including members of People Before Profit (PBP), CATU and the Revolutionary Housing League. During this peaceful protest, one man would be arrested and detained by the Gardaí under section 6 of the 1994 Public Offences Act, a draconian act giving immense power to the police in scenarios like these. 

A video circulating online shows the Gardaí cursing at citizens and activists alike and the man being taken away to the Gardaí van. This recent eviction has shaken not just Waterford City but the entire country. Locals in Waterford are outraged to have seen this happen in their own town. The horror of seeing the so-called “guardians of peace” carrying out an eviction which for all intents and purposes was illegal has no doubt shattered the myth of a benevolent police force in Ireland for many.

Throughout their tenancy, the young couple has faced intimidation and threats from the landlord. According to one of their statements reported by CATU, the landlord deliberately attempted to skew the arrangement- attempting to trick them into thinking they had “fewer rights than we did” via falsely calling the arrangement a licence agreement, rather than what it actually was - a tenancy. This practice is all too common as property owners seek to exempt themselves from legal obligations to renters, particularly in the context of ‘student accommodation’.

This was an unlawful eviction which left 2 young workers homeless in a city with virtually no properties for rent for 60,000 people. The Gardai neither served nor protected their community as they assisted in the displacement of these two tenants. It has been a common theme in Irish history where the state has used its monopoly on violence to enforce suffering on the poor masses. In the wake of this scandal, people will anxiously await the long-term consequences of this eviction. One can expect a surge in membership for CATU and a further increase in class tensions on the island as conflicting class interests once again come into the spotlight. 

The lifting of the eviction ban served nobody but the rich and left thousands of workers at risk of homelessness. PBP has consistently called for the reinstatement of the eviction ban, and as recently as September 27th brought a bill before the Dáil to do so. The Government and Danny Healy Rae voted against doing this. A landlord government has once again cast workers and tenants to the wolves. What happened in Waterford has highlighted an important issue which is becoming increasingly apparent - that the Gardaí serve not the people but rather the elite, the ruling class and most potently in this case, the landlord class. The protection of landlords is just one example. Look at their response to the Debenhams workers, or the attempts to crackdown the right to protest outside the Dáil, but refusal to protect library workers.