UCD students pitch tents on college grounds in protest over on-campus rent hike
UCD students are pitching tents at the main gate of the campus as they fight a rent hike in on-campus accommodation.
They say the increases are locking young people out of access to higher education and must be reversed immediately.
The price of housing at the south Dublin university is to rise by 4% each year over the next three years.
The Dublin university's Students' Union says campus rents have gone up by 76% over the last decade.
Earlier this month, there was another protest where Students’ Union President Joanna Siewierska said the increases should be scrapped.
"We will be rallying and demanding that the campus rent increase is stopped immediately and a campus rent decrease and rent freeze are introduced to help students," she said at the time.
We are also demanding that management implement a rental support scheme for students who are struggling in the private market.
Earlier this week, there was a similar protest in UCC.
The UCC Students’ Union “simply cannot stand by and support” such dramatic rent increases, according to a statement issued by the union.
“These students are demanding that the 3% rent increase be reversed and that a rent freeze on all UCC-owned accommodation be put in place for a period of three years."
