Government failures denounced at vigil marking anniversary of Windrush scandal

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The authorities has been urged to rapidly pay compensation to all of the Windrush era victims at a rally commemorating the scandal’s sixth anniversary.

Several audio system addressed the general public occasion in Windrush Square, Brixton, in South London, together with immigration lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie, Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, campaigner Glenda Caesar, activist Patrick Vernon, Black Cultural Archives chair Lisa Anderson, and church leaders.

Candles had been additionally lit as half of a vigil held in remembrance of Windrush pioneers and individuals who have died for the reason that scandal erupted, as spoken phrase poetry and prayers had been delivered.

Jacqueline McKenzie, who has labored with greater than 400 Windrush victims, mentioned progress is being made by way of profitable Windrush Compensation Scheme claims, although the Home Office has much more to do, whereas the prolonged utility course of stays complicated, the system is fraught with delays and a quantity of candidates die with out decision.

“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 advised The Independent.

The associate and head of immigration and asylum regulation at the agency Leigh Day additionally mentioned solicitors are battling towards an ideal storm of misinformation round eligibility and Home Office failures to successfully have interaction with all affected communities about their rights.

“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 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 a bid to proper the wrongs of the scandal, which emerged a yr earlier and noticed many British residents, largely from the Caribbean, denied entry to healthcare and advantages and threatened with deportation regardless of having the appropriate to reside within the UK.

Despite rising considerations across the quantity of folks dying earlier than receiving payouts, the Home Office has to date resisted calls for for such reforms, warning that altering how the system is run may disrupt claims being processed and result in delayed funds.

Community activist Ros Griffiths, chairperson of Friends of Windrush Square which co-organised Saturday’s occasion, advised 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.”

This rally was deliberate by a cross part of group teams together with The Windrush National Organisation, Friends of Windrush Square.

Former Met Police superintendent Leroy Logan was additionally in attendance and advised 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 additionally praised the church’s position in at this time’s vigil, including: “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 person spiritual support that people need.

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

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

Speaking after the occasion, he advised 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 mentioned: “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.

“I’m here because this is an important, national issue,” he advised 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’ve got to mobilise and we’ve got to demand what we would like, versus what the federal government has mentioned that they will provide”.

This occasion comes after the federal government’s compensation scheme for victims of the Windrush scandal was branded a failure by campaigners who urge ministers to overtake the payout course of 5 years after it was launched.

Critics of the scheme have repeatedly known as for the Home Office to be stripped of duty for figuring out and dealing with funds to victims and mentioned it must be turned over to an unbiased physique as a substitute.

The Home Office has been approached for remark.