This is the moment kindhearted neighbours formed a human chain around a mum’s house – to stop her being kicked out in a ‘revenge eviction’.
Nimo Abdullahi, 39, was told she and her family would be thrown out of their home of 12 years after she complained to her landlord about damp.
But in a bid to protect the mum-of-five from a ‘revenge eviction’, residents and campaigners turned out to stop it happening.
Around 30 people stood side by side, arms linked, to build a wall of bodies in front of the privately-rented property in Easton, Bristol.
All morning, more neighbours joined the blockade – with a newlywed couple living opposite the family cutting up their wedding cake to keep the protesters sustained.
When bailiffs turned up at 11am on Tuesday, they weren’t able to get inside.
Nimo said she was threatened with evictions numerous times – whenever she complained – but this time, the landlord actually went through with it.
She said: “It has a big problem with damp. This is bad for us, because my children have asthma and it is not a good place.
“Until recently, the carpets everywhere were very old and dirty and we would ask the landlord to improve things, but he was difficult.
“Many times I asked him, and a lot of times he would threaten us.
“He would say that we were going to be evicted, and once he came round with his wife and she said that if we didn’t move out they would call the police to get us out.
“But this is our home.”
Nimo who is being helped by Acorn, a local grass roots movement which fights for renters’ rights, said she was stunned by the support from her neighbours.
The mum, whose three sons and two daughters go to the local school, said: “I was shocked. I went out and came running back in because I was so stunned.
“I’ve had great support from Acorn and now to see my neighbours outside supporting me is amazing.”
Jenny Ross came out to protest the treatment of the Abdullahi family, who have lived in the property since they moved to England from Holland.
She said: “We don’t want people in our community treated like this. It’s a revenge eviction and people deserve decent rented accommodations.
“This landlord, and all landlords, need to know there are people in this community who won’t ignore it.
“We live in this street and it’s a close community. It’s amazing how many people have turned out.”
Another neighbour, Kirsten Parton, added: “I’m here because of the way she’s been treated by her landlord, it is simply not on.
“She and her family are part of the community and have been here for quite some time.”
Campaign organiser Nick Ballard, from Acorn Bristol, said he wants to send a “strong message” to the community that such evictions will not be tolerated.
He said: “There’s a history of this happening, where she makes a complaint and within a few weeks she’s hit with an eviction notice
“We’ve successfully stopped that in the past because the landlord hadn’t followed the correct legal procedures, but this time they have.
“What we’re trying to do is send a strong message to landlords and to the wider community that revenge evictions aren’t going to be tolerated.
“This is people’s lives at stake here – people are being made homeless – Nimo and her family are being made homeless by this,” he added.
