Last Saturday, I attended a Windrush Public Meeting at the Black Cultural Archives’ to hear the latest on victims’ struggles for justice and financial restitution.
With recent horror stories of Windrush victims living in bins, it’s clear that the scandal is very far from over. Two years on from the first public reports of systematic deportations, there has been a deplorable lack of access to justice for British citizens wrongfully deprived of their basic rights.
We heard poignant contributions from film-maker, cultural historian and political activist, Patrick Vernon, immigration lawyer Jacqui McKenzie, Lambeth Councillor Sonia Winnifred, and Helen Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood.
One repeated problem this meeting highlighted was the significant financial barrier to legal access. Vernon stressed a greater need for grassroots-funded community organisations to progress compensation applications through the Windrush Justice Fund, established earlier this year.
Legal firm McKenzie, Beute and Pope will be hosting a series of free legal advice surgeries to support anyone making compensation applications. You can sign up via the link below or make an appointment by calling 0203 757 8500. Please do publicise these consultations to anyone you know who has been affected by the Windrush scandal.