Windrush scandal victim dies in Jamaica

ANOTHER VICTIM of the Windrush scandal has died in the Caribbean.

Anthony Williams served in the British army for over ten years and in 2013 he was classified as an illegal immigrant and lost his job as a fitness instructor.

He was forced into destitution and denied NHS healthcare.

As a result, he was forced to pull out his own teeth with a pliers after developing a gum infection.

According to GoFundMe fundraiser set up by his friends, he died on March 29 in hospital near St Thomas, Jamaica.

It is thought Williams died of liver cancer and was in his early 60s.

Speaking to The Voice, Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon OBE said: “It is really sad news about Anthony Williams. I knew him over the last few years during the campaigning around justice for the Windrush generation.

“Anthony was based in Birmingham and he was very angry and bitter about how he was treated by the Home Office, especially because he had served in the armed forces and he thought he would be treated with respect and dignity when he left the army.

“But instead he got caught up in the scandal to such an extent. It has been well-documented he had to use pliers to remove his teeth because he could not access NHS services because of his citizenship status.

“It wasn’t surprising that he decided to relocate back to Jamaica, to enjoy the rest of his life.”

Man of ‘courage’

According to a statement published on the fundraiser, Williams became became a founding member of Windrush Lives – a support group for victims of the scandal.

The statement said: “Together with a group of other victims and volunteers, he helped lead the charge to remove the Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS) from Home Office control.

“He summoned immense courage to do so. He had lived largely in the shadows as a result of enforced unemployment and the ever-present spectre of deportation. Like many others, he was at first reluctant to draw attention to his story because of the stigma, and the fear of even greater harassment by the Home Office.”

In late 2021, Williams accepted a settlement from the WCS after a long fight which lasted almost three years.

Fresh start

The statement continued: “By the time that resolution came, the damage was done – scarred by years of futile struggle against the establishment, he moved back to Jamaica.

“He had last lived there at the age of 7; at 58, he was hopeful of a fresh start.”

Vernon told The Voice, he is concerned about the number of Windrush survivors who are dying and says the growing list of lives lost is a public health issue.

He added: “Obviously his death was linked to cancer but we  need an independent inquiry in examining all the deaths connected with Windrush because I believe that out of the, particularly in a UK context, where 54 people have now died, they have all died linked to hypertension and some have died linked to cancer.

“I believe that the hostile environmental policy has reduced life expectancy and increased morbidity for those caught up in the scandal.

“This is a public health issue now, it’s a health issue and I think there needs to be an independent investigation into the deaths which I think will demonstrate there is a causal relationship between hostile environmental policy and these lives that have died prematurely.”

On the fundraising website the statement concluded by stating: “Anthony gave selflessly. He pushed past the trauma of his experience and told his story to help force change for others, including giving detailed evidence to members of Parliament. That in part led to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s recommendation that the WCS be removed from the Home Office and made independent. He gave myriad interviews to raise awareness of the Home Office’s failings and supported others in his position with a level of engagement and compassion that would have been beaten out of most who suffered as he had.

“His life mattered. Help us honour his legacy and give him the send-off he deserves.”

To donate to the fundraiser for Anthony Williams click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bm3vvs-anthony-williams 

Originally posted on The Voice Online