Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) have staged a banner drop this evening at House Six. The banner drop was organised ahead of the National March for Student Accommodation and Housing, taking place tomorrow as part of the “Raise the Roof” demonstration at Dáil Eireann.
Speaking to Trinity News, Shane De Rís, President of TCDSU said: “We’re taking this action to raise awareness for the ‘Raise the Roof ‘ rally tomorrow which we, as a Student Union (SU), will be joining with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to march from the Gardens of Remembrance.”
Students are to gather in Front Square before assembling with other Students’ Union delegations at the Gardens of Remembrance. From there, a march to Dáil Eireann is to take place in conjunction with other housing activist groups organised by the National Coalition for Housing and Homelessness.
Paraic McLean, Communications Officer for TCDSU also stated: “Every year students take to the streets to change things that need to be changed, and it is always a great motivational thing for students to see thousands of other people and to feel motivated to strive for change and that is why we have the marches every year.”
Previously Student Union’s from National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and Dublin City University (DCU) have protested against the recent price increases at student accommodation complexes Shanowen Halls and Cúirt na Coiribe. NUIGSU recently organised a campout protest in Eyre Square to protest rising student accommodation costs in Galway and have taken a case against Cúirt na Coiribe after an 18% increase in rent costs for students.
Poster making for the march also took place this evening in House Six.
Additional reporting by Mary Hartnett