Thread by @LetsStopC9

74 years ago, on the 22nd June, 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush docked in Essex with hundreds of Caribbean immigrants on board.
Join us as we explore why we mark the day, and why it matters...
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They had been invited to the UK by the government to help rebuild Britain after the second world war. Many found jobs in the NHS and other sectors lacking workers.
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At the time the Caribbean was part of the Commonwealth so the Windrush Generation - the people who arrived into the UK from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1973 - were free to live and work permanently in the UK
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The Windrush Scandal came to light in 2017 after it was discovered that many Commonwealth citizens, often from the Windrush Generation, had been illegally detained, denied rights, and deported.
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The Home Office had destroyed thousands of landing cards and documentation which logged legal entry into the country for men, women and children from the Caribbean. It then placed the burden of proof of legitimacy on individuals and began to take action against them.
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This was a direct result of the Hostile Environment created intentionally by successive policies since 2012, to make life deliberately unbearable for those labelled 'illegal immigrants'.
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The domino effect of the Hostile Environment impacted thousands of non-White people who were subjected to tabloid-led racism and prejudiced policies around work, housing, education and healthcare. This is ongoing in the UK.
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To support the Windrush Generation, the Caribbean government took these injustices up with then PM Theresa May and further ineptitudes, prejudices and the gross mismanagement of the immigration system in the UK were highlighted.
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Windrush Day began in 2019 to mark the struggle of, and honour the Windrush Generation whose lives were irreparably changed by the treachery and prejudice of the British government.
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It intends to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation to Britain, and to highlight the injustice they continue to face. It is as vital now as it was then, and the lessons it teaches remain crucial and current.
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The Windrush review shows the scandal was not an accident. The policies contributing to the #HostileEnvironment have not been removed. The Windrush compensation scheme is complex with insultingly small recompense. It is outrageous.
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Wealth begotten from the abuse of Black lives continues to benefit Britain and no proper apologies or seemingly genuine attempts to offer restorative justice have been made. The Home Office seems determined to evade accountability.
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The scandal is ongoing. The impact is ongoing. So should the outrage be.
Solidarity with the Windrush Generation and their descendents. We stand with you in contempt of the racist British government.
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