An angry boomer has been filmed tackling a group of protesters demonstrating against landlords leaving their properties empty as Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis.
The encounter was captured by tenants’ rights activist and founder of the website sh**rentals.org, Jordan van den Berg, who posted it on his popular Purple Pingers Instagram page.
Van den Berg, who will stand for the Victorian Socialists in next year’s federal election, had on Saturday organized the “occupation” of a row of three empty houses in Brunswick, a vibrant inner-city suburb about 5 kilometers north of Melbourne’s financial district.
All three houses have apparently been vacant for years: one for 8 years, one for 10 years, and one for 15 years.
A man approached the group, who had placed a sign reading, “This house has been empty for 15 years” in the front yard of one of the houses.
“You’re all idiots… all of you,” the man said.
And he added: “You are all idiots.” This is not your house, this has nothing to do with you. You should move on.’
“This has nothing to do with you, it’s private property… you should all leave.”
A neighbor who lives across the street from the three empty houses told the group: ‘You are all idiots… this is not your house, this has nothing to do with you… you should just move on.’ .
Van den Berg (pictured) had organized the “occupation” of a row of three empty houses in Brunswick, a vibrant inner-city suburb about 5km north of Melbourne’s CBD.
One of the group asked the man: ‘I just want to clarify this… is it idiotic to have empathy for homeless people?’ Is that so?
One of the group said: “Private property is for greedy idiots.”
The man snapped, “You’re almost as smart as him,” and pointed at the man who asked if it was idioti to have empathy for homeless people.
“You’re not very smart, are you?” said the man.
A police officer arrived and escorted the man from the scene.
As they took him away, they asked him again: ‘It’s a pretty simple question I’m asking you: is it idiotic to show empathy for homeless people?’
At which point the police officer said, “Just keep going.”
The police officers asked the man to move on. The police officer calmly told the man, “I understand your frustration, but you’re making it harder than it is.”
The video shows the man speaking to the group of protesters before the police officer escorts him away.
One of the protesters was heard shouting: “It’s stolen Wurundjeri land, you idiot.”
The man told the group that “everything was wrong” before two police officers took him away.
“Please don’t touch me, please don’t touch me,” he said as he tried to push the officer’s arm away.
The police officer calmly told the man, “I understand your frustration, but you’re making it harder than it is.”
Van den Berg told Daily Mail Australia the man is not the owner of one of the unoccupied properties, but rather a neighbor across the street.
He claimed the man was the only one who did not support his protest and said he shared it “for the sake of complete coverage.”
“We also spoke to other neighbors and they were actually quite lovely,” Mr van den Berg said.
“I want to thank all the neighbors who came out to support and expressed their displeasure that some of these houses had been empty for over a decade.”
He said some of the homeowners were at their properties earlier in the morning.
Van den Berg encourages squatters by maintaining a list of abandoned houses that he tells people to squat if they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
He said the three houses in Brunswick were not occupied by squatters and police asked the group to move away, which they did.
The potential Senate candidate had strong words for homeowners who leave their properties empty for years.
“Landlords who defend the right to leave a property empty for 15 years should get a real job,” he said.
“We shouldn’t have homes without people, while there are homeless people.”
In total, almost 100,000 homes were empty or underutilized in 2023, a staggering number among 20 homes in Melbourne, according to a report by the tax reform institute. Prosper Australia.
The report, which analyzed water use, found that more than 27,000 homes (1.5 percent of all homes) were left completely empty throughout 2023, and another 70,000 (3.7 percent of all homes) They were barely used.