Housing justice protestors have surrounded Olympia to campaign against MIPIM, the world’s biggest property conference.
Spearheaded by the Radical Housing Network, the campaign has also targeted London Mayor Boris Johnson for playing “the popular crown” and making deals “causing misery to millions”.
The protest has urged Londoners to #Block Boris and #Stop Mipim.
#stopMIPIMprotesters surround Olympia to #BlockBorisas he speaks to developers. Should have stayed in Cannes pic.twitter.com/CeBVJ7ATKw
— Andy Slaughter MP (@hammersmithandy) October 15, 2014
In a post on Facebook, Radical Housing Network wrote:
“Boris likes to play the popular clown, but with ten of thousands of London families on council house waiting lists, and communities across the city facing eviction and displacement at the hands of profiteering developers, the mayor has attended Mipim year on year to help his real friends make the deals that are causing misery to millions. Let’s stop him.”
The protest is also supported by union Unite which claims that the “super-rich and wealthy property developers” have cashed in on Britain’s housing crisis.
#BlockBoris! #stopMIPIM! pic.twitter.com/h1gQDTwhAo
— RadicalHousingNet (@radicalhousing) October 15, 2014
MIPIM stopped 🙂 #stopmipim#blockborispic.twitter.com/5N4VESAQc0
— LambethHousngActvsts (@LambthHousngAct) October 15, 2014
#StopMIPIMupdate : MT .@PilgrimTucker: Housing campaigners and residents from across london have stopped #MIPIM pic.twitter.com/iJQDlWTM3Q
— Unite the union (@unitetheunion) October 15, 2014
Participants stopped from getting in to #MIPIMUK#stopmipimstop sales of public land to developers and super rich pic.twitter.com/nfgJ3CR5KE
— Pilgrim Tucker (@PilgrimTucker) October 15, 2014
In a statement, Unite said:
“Unite said that London’s Tory mayor Boris Johnson is aiding and abetting property developers in the capital to the detriment of those seeking a home – at present, an £80,000 salary is needed to rent an ‘affordable’ two bedroom home in London.
“In its briefing – Carving up our communities – Unite said that MIPIM will ‘super-charge’ the housing crisis. “Developers want to demolish more council estates: over 20 are currently under threat across London.”
“Instead of the failed partnership MIPIM model, Unite is calling for a massive council house building programme and the regulation of landlords with the emphasis on rent controls which work in Germany and Sweden.
“Unite believes that councils and public bodies are pressurised by a combination of government, developers, and funding cuts to use publicly-owned land for majority-private housing development.”
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