The iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris ablaze on Monday
The former Foyle MLA pointed to the hundreds of millions raised in support of the Notre-Dame reconstruction, while residents of London’s Grenfell Tower are still living in temporary accommodation two years after the inferno swept through the tower block.
A total of 72 people died at the west London Tower block in June 2017 and left hundreds homeless.
A public inquiry is ongoing into the disaster.
Police and fire services believe the fire, which began in a malfunctioning fridge-freezer, spread due to the type of cladding used in the building’s exterior.
Folllowing the fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday night, nearly £700m has been raised to pay for refurbishments.
Mr McCann, who is running for election to Derry City and Strabane District Council in May, said that while he accepted people would be upset by the damage to Notre-Dame, the human cost following Grenfell had largely been ignored.
“The victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster two years ago must be kicking themselves they never thought to install stained glass windows in their flats,” the 76-year-old said.
“Survivors mourning for their friends and neighbours can only wonder at the vast generosity towards Notre-Dame when compared to the grudging response to the tragedy which saw 72 people perish in an avoidable inferno.
“Close on a billion pounds has been donated for the refurbishment of Notre-Dame. But many Grenfell Tower residents still don’t have a home to go to.”
Mr McCann suggested the lack of response to the Grenfell tragedy may have been due to the background of those who lived there.
“The blaze at Notre-Dame appears to have been accidental, but the Grenfell tragedy was not only forseeable but had been foreseen. Residents had complained about the fire hazard to Kensington council – to no effect,” the former MLA said.
“The flats had been built on the cheap and then wrapped around with killer material.
“The cathedral of Notre-Dame is a cultural treasure. Dismay at its destruction was inevitable and understandable. The impulse to restore it to its former glory is right and proper.”
The veteran civil rights campaigner said that the Notre-Dame fire had shown that priorities had “largely been lost sight of”.
People Before Profit’s Eamonn McCann
“Her pledge to the Grenfell families that they would all be housed in suitable accommodation within three months has simply been forgotten,” he said.
“The super-rich who coughed up a billion in no time at all for Notre-Dame all kept their hands in their pockets when it came to the people of Grenfell.”
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