Important points
- Jordan van den Lamb, also known online as “Purplepingers,” is known for his criticism of the real estate industry.
- He has gained over 200,000 followers on TikTok and has become an activist and advocate in the tenants’ rights movement.
- He has announced that he will run for the Senate for the Victorian Socialist Party at the next federal election.
Jordan van den Lamb has made a name for himself with his posts about dubious rents and the housing crisis on social media and has now announced his entry into politics.
In a video shared on social media, he said he would run for the Senate with the Victorian Socialist Party in the next federal election.
He said he was entering politics because he hoped to alleviate the rent and housing crisis.
“At the same time, we are seeing that queues at food banks in our communities are longer than ever and that homeless services are at or beyond their capacity.
“This is absolutely unacceptable in our society. This is because politicians are landlords themselves and are profiting from the rental and housing crisis.”
Who is Purplepingers?
Over the past three years, van den Lamb has gained over 200,000 followers and 4.6 million likes on TikTok under the name “Purplepingers.”
He started out making videos making fun of real estate agents and rental listings, but has since evolved into an activist.
Now he publishes videos in which he exposes shady properties and plots of land that are empty for long periods of time, which he in the past.
He also regularly criticizes politicians and landlords and points out homelessness and the cost of living crisis.
In his announcement video, van den Lamb claimed that four of the six Victorian state senators running for re-election are either landowners or own multiple properties.
He said the other two had either consistently voted against motions to discuss affordable housing and tenants’ rights or “didn’t even bother to show up and vote.”
“Our side doesn’t have the money, but we definitely have the numbers,” he said.
“In the next election, don’t vote for a landlord, vote for change.”
