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This article is more than 1 year old

A memorial to the Windrush generation at Waterloo station in London is being “imposed” by the government to the “disgust” of the Caribbean community, the Windrush Foundation has said.

Announcing the plan for the permanent monument on Saturday, Theresa May said it would be a lasting legacy to the “tremendous contribution” of the Windrush generation as events were due to take place for the first Windrush Day to mark 71 years since arrival of HMT Empire Windrush.

However, Arthur Torrington, the chair of the Windrush Foundation, said the government was behaving “arrogantly” and “treating the Caribbean community like children” by not consulting with key groups, while he noted just 13 Windrush victims have so far been granted emergency support by the government.

“Its like imposing a monument on your behalf where you don’t want it and saying this is what you should have,” Torrington said.

“You can’t just bully a community and say, ‘Here is a monument’. This is the same arrogance that led to the Windrush scandal. In a sense they’re looking for another one by treating the Caribbean community like children.”

He said that the community wanted it to be in Brixton, in Windrush Square, and that Waterloo station had “nothing to do” with Windrush.

“Windrush is about 1948,” he said. “We don’t understand why the government can’t consult more. This monument is being imposed to our disgust.”

Karen Doyle, the national organiser of Windrush pressure group Movement for Justice, said that memorialising the arrival and contribution of the Windrush generation was important and welcome, but “ripping up the hostile environment polices would be a fitting monument”.

“[A] gesture in bronze and steel feels empty and meaningless from a government that championed the hostile environment bringing destitution, detention, deportation, exile and death to this important generation,” she said. “It is particularly galling when there are still so many who live in fear of detention and deportation, the descendants and family members who are currently excluded from help by this government.



“The money would be better spent tackling the racist core of British immigration law, which bequeathed a permanently impermanent second class citizenship on the Windrush generation.”

The memorial announcement comes a week after another prominent Windrush victim, former Middlesex cricketer Richard Stewart, died without receiving compensation or a personal apology from the government.

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About 500 migrants from the Caribbean arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June 1948 aboard the MV Empire Windrush, at the invitation of the British government, to help rebuild the UK in the aftermath of the second world war.

“The Windrush generation helped lay the foundations for the country we know today, which is richer and stronger as a result of their hard work and dedication to the UK,” May said.

“This monument will be a lasting legacy to the tremendous contribution the Windrush generation and their children have made to our great country.”

Play Video 2:00 Who are the Windrush generation? – video explainer

Ministers and the Home Office came under fire after it was revealed members of the Windrush generation and their children had been wrongly detained and deported – and others denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits and pensions.

Amber Rudd was forced to step down as home secretary after a series of revelations in the Guardian over the Windrush scandal culminated in a leak that appeared to show she was aware of targets for removing illegal migrants from Britain.

On Saturday, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said “the disgraceful way” the Windrush generation and their families have been treated by the government was “a national scandal”.

He pledged to invest up to £370,000 to help Londoners access legal support to secure their immigration status, saying “the increasing severity of the hostile environment is putting Londoners with the right to be here at risk of destitution.”

May’s plan was roundly condemned by Labour politicians, as well as members of the public. Shadow minister for women and equalities, Dawn Butler, tweeted:

(((Dawn Butler MP))) (@DawnButlerBrent) This video is an insult from the person who created the hostile environment that deported Black British citizens. We don’t need May’s empty rhetoric. We need justice & compensation We need May to resolve ALL outstanding cases & end the racist hostile environment now. #WindrushDay https://t.co/2tLUK5GNr6

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “The Windrush scandal goes on with tragic consequences. The Windrush Generation need justice and compensation. The Tories’ “hostile environment” must end to ensure that this can never happen again.”

Following the scandal, May established the Windrush Commemoration Committee to consider how best to create a permanent, fitting tribute to the Windrush generation and their descendants.

This Windrush Day, hope now seems like a thing of the past Read more

The committee’s chairwoman, Lady Floella Benjamin, said: “Having a Windrush monument located at Waterloo station where thousands of Windrush pioneers – including children like myself – first arrived in London, will be a symbolic link to our past as we celebrate our future.

“The committee is determined to build a monument of great beauty and emotional impact which will lift the hearts of those who visit when it’s unveiled. I hope it will inspire pride and a sense of belonging to all those associated with the Windrush story.”