'More Homes, Less Printers': Protests against homelessness take place in Cork and Dublin
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'More Homes, Less Printers': Protests against homelessness take place in Cork and Dublin

A NUMBER of demonstrations are taking place across Ireland today in protest of the government's perceived inaction against the housing crisis.

Protesters in Cork and Dublin took to the streets with placards and banners, chanting 'Shame on you Leo' and 'Murphy out', relating to the Taoiseach and the Housing Minister respectively.

The protests come at a time where the ongoing homeless crisis is at its worst-- figures released by the Department of Housing on Tuesday revealed that for the first time in Ireland's recorded history, over 10,500 people are without a home.

Protesters marched through both Dublin and Cork to voice their anger at rising homeless figures and lack of affordable housing, with one placard bearing the words 'Less Printers, More Homes', a nod to the recent scandal where the Irish government spent over one million euro on a printer which was then found not to fit in the building.

Reports from Dublin indicate that barriers have been placed in front of government building Leinster House to prevent protesters from approaching the building. Earlier in the week, during the farmer's protests, a tractor was used to block the gates, leaving government workers stuck inside.

The protests are a reflection of many within the Irish public who feel the government do not have their priorities in order, with the recent announcement of a €22 million white water rafting facility adding fuel to the fire.

After surviving a vote of no confidence earlier this week, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy announced that "the government will build more social housing next year than we have for two decades", but for many it may be a case of too little, too late.