A homeless man is in hospital with life- altering injuries after the tent he was sleeping in was removed from the banks of the Grand Canal by an industrial vehicle.
Gardai said in a statement that the tent was being removed ”in an attempt to tidy the canal walkway”.
Of course, no amount of ‘tidying’ can cover over the callous policies that have led to the worst housing crisis in the history of the state, and created unthinkable suffering for ordinary people in this country.
In a bitter irony, the event happened in housing minister Eoghan Murphy’s own constituency, his face looming down from overhead lamposts as Gardai were on the scene this morning.
At what point do we draw a line, and demand a stop to the dehumanisation? At what point does this government stop treating human beings like actual rubbish to get ”tidied away” ?
Whilst it seems that no amount of tragedy or suffering is enough to jolt this government into action, it’s clear from the public reaction to this mornings’ news, that this is not the Ireland most people want.
In the upcoming General Election, we get a chance to hold Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to account.
Lets send a strong message. Housing is a human right.