Campaigners mark six years since Windrush Scandal with call for ‘greater commitment’

On April 6, campaigners and supporters came together in Brixton to mark six years since the Windrush scandal was exposed.

Around 100 people gathered at Windrush Square for the event which was organised by Windrush National Organisation (WNO), the Black Cultural Archives and Churches Together in England.

The Windrush scandal, which came to national attention in 2018, caused thousands of people to be wrongfully designated as living illegally in the UK, despite being British citizens. As a result, many people, mainly of Caribbean origin, lost their jobs as well as access to healthcare and housing, with some being detained and deported.

Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo, chairman and director of WNO, told the South London Press: “The people who attended are part of the community and have family members who are affected by the scandal.

“The object of the vigil was to commemorate those who made the journey to the UK and to ensure that we get greater commitment for the issues faced by the windrush generations as well as underlying issues and trauma.”

The Government apologised for its role in the scandal in 2018, promising to compensate those affected, but Dr Jaddoo said the fallout is still ongoing.

The WNO has supported more than 2,000 people affected by the scandal, of which a “few hundred” have applied for compensation.

Just over £80million had been paid out across 2,233 claims by the end of January this year, according to Home Office data.

In June 2023 new research published ahead of the 75th anniversary of the SS Empire Windrush arriving in Britain, found the UK had “much more work to do” on racial equality.

The findings were released in a report by think tank British Future, as part of the Windrush 75 network, called Why the Windrush matters today.

It found two-thirds of ethnic minority respondents agreed that “black and Asian people face discrimination in their everyday lives in Britain today,” while only 10 per cent disagreed.

Drawing on new polling by Focaldata and a series of discussion groups, the report offers a “state of the nation” picture of public attitudes on race, identity and prejudice in the UK today.

Six in 10 people felt that the 75th anniversary of Windrush was important for the country. That rose to 71 per cent of ethnic minorities and 84 per cent of black Caribbean Britons.

Three-quarters of the public and eight in 10 people from an ethnic minority background thought that children should learn about the Windrush and how post-war migration shaped today’s society.

With a large sample of Black Caribbean and other ethnic minority respondents, the polling also found a balanced picture of attitudes towards the progress made on race and the progress still needed.

Some 71 per cent of the public and 68 per cent of ethnic minorities agree that “the UK has made significant progress on racial equality in the last 25 years”.

But 80 per cent of ethnic minorities and 66 per cent of the public as a whole agreed that “the UK needs to make much more progress on racial equality in the next 25 years.”

Victims of the Windrush scandal have called on the Government to speed up and increase compensation, raising concerns that elderly members of the Windrush generation may miss out on payments. 

The Home Office has said the Windrush compensation scheme will remain open as long as it is needed so that no one is prevented from making a claim.

Pictured top: Campaigners and supporters at the Windrush vigil (Picture: Windrush National Organisation)