A crowd of trade unionists, local residents and other activists gathered outside 32 High Street, Millers Point, this morning determined to stop the NSW sheriff from forcibly evicting Peter Muller from public housing.

Three years into the fight, the government has finally moved to eviction, having already forced many of the tenants out through intimidation, refusal to repair their housing, threats and a long grind of uncertainty.

Myra Demetriou, blind and 90 years old, is one of only two remaining tenants in the Sirius building. She came down to join in Peter’s defence. Another elderly Millers Point tenant, who declares she will fight to the end, reminded us that, “If they come for me in the morning, they’ll come for you at night”. Solidarity was the watchword of the day.

Barney Gardner, one of the leaders of the residents’ resistance, declared, “People are being moved out because of the dollar. We’ve got to be in solidarity with Peter and anyone else who’s threatened with eviction. We’ll be here and we’ll be occupying”.

The Sheriff didn’t come today. But the threat remains. For updates, like the Facebook page Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks.