Paul Murphy Challenges Eviction Response at Harrington Street
Paul Murphy questioned the Tánaiste and the Government over an alleged illegal eviction at Harrington Street and related incidents at Sandwich Street. He accused unlicensed private security of evicting a woman without a court order, said Gardaí refused to intervene, and raised concerns about far-right involvement after tents were burned.
Harrington Street eviction details
Paul Murphy described an attempted illegal eviction where private security turned up without a court order and allegedly put a woman in her 50s and her furniture onto the street. He said the private security had no PSA licences and threatened housing activists who were supporting the tenants.
Gardaí response and civil-matter claim
When Gardaí arrived at the scene, Murphy said they refused to intervene and would not even take statements about the alleged violence, stating it was a civil matter. He questioned whether that response was acceptable.
Sandwich Street and far-right allegations
Murphy also raised last Friday's events at Sandwich Street, noting far-right activists online claimed a deal with Gardaí allowed them to remove tents, which were later burned. The Tánaiste responded that there was no such deal and cautioned for balance in statements made in the House.
Government actions and investigations
The Tánaiste said the Government takes illegal evictions very seriously and is committed to ensuring tenants are treated lawfully and respectfully. The Minister for Housing has written to the Director of the RTB, Andrius Porres, and invoked the Residential Tenancies Act 2004-2022 to seek a thorough and early investigation into the matter.
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I want to ask the Taoiseach about an attempted illegal eviction yesterday at Harrington Street in Dublin. There was no court order for the eviction. The private security that turned up and which turfed a woman in her 50s onto the street and her furniture onto the street had no PSA licenses. They threatened the housing activists who were supporting the tenants with violence. When the Gardaí arrived, they refused to intervene. They said this is a civil matter and they refused to even take statements about the violence that had taken place. Is that acceptable? Tanaiste. I'd also asked in relation to what happened at Sandwich Street last Friday. The far-right activists online have claimed that there was a deal between them and the Gardaí to allow them to go in and so-called remove the tents. Obviously, we know that the tents were burned. Is there investigation into that? Obviously, if anything like that was the case, it would be extremely concerning. I hope the Deputy Chair is not suggesting that there was a deal between the Gardaí and the far-right activists. There was no such deal. God's sake. We need balance here on what we're saying in the House. In respect of the illegal eviction, the Government takes illegal evictions very seriously. It's committed to doing everything in its power to ensure that tenants are treated fairly, respectfully, and within the confines of what is legally permissible. The Minister for Housing has written to the Director of the RTB, Andrius Porres, and the Residential Tentities Act 2004-2022 to ensure this matter is investigated thoroughly as early as possible. Deputy Brendan Smith.
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