AN occupation of the AirBnb offices in Dublin’s Docklands by housing activists took place earlier today.

Take Back The City launched a demonstration to coincide with Ireland’s largest architecture festival, Open House, taking place across Dublin this weekend.

Take Back The City group occupy Airbnb

They claimed the popular accommodation website is a contributor to the current housing crisis in Ireland.

They wrote on Facebook: “As of August 2018 there were 3,165 entire properties for rent on AirBnb in Dublin, compared to 1,329 properties available for long-term rent on Daft.ie.

“This is at a time when there are over 1,350 families homeless in the greater Dublin region alone.

“In 2017, there was a 63 per cent increase in AirBnb usage across Ireland. During the same time period, homelessness in Ireland increased by 2000 people.”

The demo ended shortly after lunchtime but AirBnB was forced to close for the rest of the day.

In a statement, the company said: “AirBnb is an economic lifeline for countless Irish families. We are disappointed a small and peaceful demonstration has disrupted the activities.”

Earlier, Conor Reddy from Take Back The City explained why they chose the location.

He said: “Today a group occupied the offices in protest at some of the effects of Airbnb and short-term rental platforms on the housing crisis.

“Platforms such as AirBnb have exacerbated the crisis and have also driven rents up by constricting the market.”

“We went there today to protest Airbnb’s role in this crisis.”