Sky News – 75th Windrush anniversary marked across UK in events described as ‘bittersweet’ + Patrick Vernon OBE Quote
75th Windrush anniversary marked across UK in events described as ‘bittersweet’
The King was among those taking part in dozens of commemorative events. But the anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship in June 1948 comes as campaigners continue the fight for compensation for those who came to the UK and were wrongly detained and deported.
The 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s arrival in Britain from the Caribbean has been marked across the country – as campaigners say their battle for “justice” continues.
The ship, which had around 500 men and women on board, was the first to bring workers from the Caribbean who had answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages.
The King was among those taking part in dozens of events on Thursday when he attended a service in Windsor after describing the Windrush generation’s legacy as “profound and permanent“.
Events were also held at London’s Southwark Cathedral and the Port of Tilbury, Essex, where the ship docked on 22 June 1948.
Other events include exhibitions at museums across the UK and a carnival parade through the streets of Brixton in south London, while the Windrush flag was being flown at major landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament.
Patrick Vernon, convenor of the Windrush 75 network, which is organising many of the events, said it was a chance to “celebrate the diversity of modern Britain” and to “acknowledge the legacy of those first Windrush pioneers, the challenges they overcame and the contribution they made to Britain”.
But he added it was a “bittersweet moment, tainted by the injustice of the Windrush scandal”.
In 2018, it emerged that many who made legitimate journeys to Britain had been wrongly detained and deported, despite having the right to live in the UK.
Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits. Some of those deported later died before they were able to return to Britain.
The then prime minister Theresa May later apologised and an inquiry led to the establishment of a compensation scheme for victims.
However, the government has been criticised for being slow to pay out, amid claims the process places an unfair burden of proof on claimants.
Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch called for the Home Office to hand over control of the “hostile” scheme to an independent body instead.