Government failures denounced at vigil marking anniversary of Windrush scandal

The government has been urged to quickly pay compensation to all the Windrush generation victims at a rally commemorating the scandal’s sixth anniversary.

Several speakers addressed the public event in Windrush Square, Brixton, in South London, including immigration lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie, Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, campaigner Glenda Caesar, activist Patrick Vernon, Black Cultural Archives chair Lisa Anderson, and church leaders.

Candles were also lit as part of a vigil, attended by more than 50 people, held in remembrance of Windrush pioneers and people who have died since the scandal erupted, as spoken word poetry and prayers were delivered.

Jacqueline McKenzie, who has worked with more than 400 Windrush victims, said progress is being made through successful Windrush Compensation Scheme claims, though the Home Office has a lot more to do, while the lengthy application process remains complex, the system is fraught with delays and a number of applicants die without resolution.

“We’re seeing some good outcomes but there’s still some issues such as major delays and people dying because it’s an elderly cohort,” she told The Independent.

The partner and head of immigration and asylum law at the firm Leigh Day also said solicitors are battling against a perfect storm of misinformation around eligibility and Home Office failures to effectively engage with all affected communities about their rights.

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“I also think the problem with the space is that so many people don’t really understand the compensation scheme, so there’s a whole lot of videos being circulated on platforms like Tiktok, wrongly informing people that they can apply, and people who aren’t entitled to awards submit applications which clog up the system.

“And then the Home Office originally thought, from census data and statistical modeling, that 50,000 people of Caribbean heritage could have been affected by the Windrush Scandal. Well, only around 7000-8000 have received their papers, so why aren’t the Home Office doing more outreach?”

The compensation scheme has been in place since April 2019 in the government’s purported bid to “right the wrongs” of the scandal, which emerged a year earlier and saw many British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation by ministers despite having the right to live in the UK.

Despite growing concerns around the number of people dying before receiving payouts, the Home Office has so far resisted demands for such reforms, warning that changing how the system is administered could disrupt claims being processed and lead to delayed payments.

Activist Ros Griffiths, chairperson of Friends of Windrush Square which co-organised Saturday’s event, told The Independent: “We cannot give up in our pursuit of justice for the Windrush generation, and the dismantling of oppressive systems, because they paved the way for us.”

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This rally was planned by a cross section of community groups including The Windrush National Organisation (WNO), Friends of Windrush Square, Churches Together England and more.

Former Met Police superintendent Leroy Logan was also in attendance at the event and told The Independent: “We need to be here to honour those who have passed and ensure that the Windrush scandal doesn’t happen again to future generations.”

Mr Logan also praised the church’s role in today’s vigil, adding: “I’m glad to see the churches coming forward; they have a role to play, not only in political lobbying but also to give that people the spiritual support that they need.

“I’m really pleased that we’re seeing clergy being present at this vigil. I’ve been to previous vigils and they’re lacking in numbers. So, better late than never.”

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Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, founder of the Windrush National Organisation (WNO), hosted the afternoon’s proceedings.

Speaking after the event, he told The Independent: “Today is an opportunity for our voices to be heard, it’s the commencement of a journey towards change. What we have to do is use today not just to level the playing field, so that our children don’t face these issues anymore, but ensure as well, that we create tomorrow’s leaders.”

Campaigner Patrick Vernon said: “The government always uses the rhetoric of ‘right the wrongs’ of the scandal but they’ve not actually listened to the concerns of survivors, campaigners and lawyers.

“This has been borne out by the fact that they’ve reneged on their commitments to carry out recommendations from the Windrush Lessons Learned Review.

“Hopefully, when a General Election is announced and politicians are canvassing the votes, people will ask prospective candidates if they’ll commit to giving automatic citizenship to the victims of the scandal,  revamping the scheme and removing it from the Home Office - these are some of our key demands.

Anthony Brown, who launched advocacy group Windrush Defenders after successfully resisting a wrongful deportation attempt by the Home Office, travelled from Manchester to attend the Brixton event.

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“I’m here because this is an important, national issue,” he told The Independent. “It’s not just people here in London who are affected by the scandal; it’s people all around the country.

“Our voices are there. To quote Frederick Douglas “power concedes nothing without demand”. So we have to mobilise and we have to demand what we want, as opposed to what the government has said that they can offer”.

This event comes after the government’s compensation scheme for victims of the Windrush scandal was branded a failure by campaigners who urge ministers to overhaul the payout process five years after it was launched.

Critics of the scheme have repeatedly called for the Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for determining and handling payments to victims and said it should be turned over to an independent body instead.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve.

“We have paid more than £80 million in compensation and over 82 per cent of claims have received a final decision.

“We continue to make improvements so people receive the maximum award as quickly as possible, whilst providing extensive support to help people access and apply to the compensation scheme.”