Thread by @JolyonMaugham

🚨@WindrushLives Closing Thread🚨

We’ll be off in a minute, so a few final thoughts:

First, we hope you’ll agree that the Windrush Compensation Scheme doesn’t work, was never really intended to, and is an insult to victims, for whom #WindrushInjustice continues.

Where do we go from here?

It is vital to centre the lives and experiences of Windrush survivors and to continue to keep tabs on and understand how the compensation scheme is really working (or not) for the people that matter – the claimants.

To that end, we are delighted to announce a collab to rival Ivy Park (ok, not really): @WindrushLives x @GoodLawProject will in short order be publishing a questionnaire designed to gather the data that the Home Office can’t, or won’t.

The purpose of this *anonymous* survey is to get detail from Windrush victims about their experience of using the Compensation Scheme.

It is **vital** that as many victims as humanly possible take part. Only then can we truly assess the scale of the #WindrushInjustice [4/26]

We will expand on this nearer the time, but broadly, if your status was affected by Windrush heritage, you are a WCS claimant, or you are thinking about applying to the Scheme, we urge you to take part, stand up and be counted (anonymously). Follow @WindrushLives for updates.

The more information we have, the better we can advocate for claimants and victims. This is especially important because the government has not been forthcoming with accurate, accessible data and the experiences of claimants are going unheard and unnoticed. [6/26]

We’ll be releasing and promoting the questionnaire soon, along with @GoodLawProject, so watch this space @WindrushLives [7/26]

If you have followed along today, believe that it is important to support Windrush survivors fighting for what they are *OWED*, and you want to help, some suggestions: [8/26]

First, if you can, GIVE to orgs offering free legal advice to victims. One such body is the Windrush Justice Clinic which handles the cases of many claimants who come to us. The Clinic is urgently fundraising for a caseworker [9/26] gre.ac.uk/legal-advice-c…

So we’re clear, WJC is an independent body, **not in any way** part of government, the Immigration Service, Home Office or the Police. It offers the type of independent application support the HO won’t fund, and it does this work for free. [10/26] gofundme.com/f/windrush-jus…

If you can’t give, there are some things you might consider by way of direct action. Most obviously, you need to understand the hostile environment. Who supports it, who doesn’t, what concrete plans any politician has to try and defeat it. [11/26]

Surprisingly, this counts at every level of politics. For example, councils, local authorities and mayors have a choice as to whether or not to cooperate with @ukhomeoffice in helping to enforce its hideous plans to deport homeless people with precarious status. [12/26]

There are political candidates who have opposed such measures, and councils which have done likewise. Find out what your local authority/council’s position is, then consider whether you want to keep them in power. Do it. Do it now. It’ll only take a few minutes. [13/26]

Pressure your MPs. Every campaign you’ve ever heard of suggests that you do this, bc it does work. We can’t think of a single MP who would proudly stand behind a set of policies that harms the Windrush generation - they’re all out here “righting wrongs” after all. [14/26]

So challenge them. If they show up on your doorstep, ask them - do they really care about the Windrush generation? If so, ask them to prove it. Tell them you know the Compensation Scheme is a crock and ask how they are working to change it. [15/26]

And here’s an easy win - respond to the HO’s public consultation on the *shudder* New Immigration Plan. The good people at Detention Action have a guide explaining what to do: [17/26] detentionaction.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

As have the equally good people at Freedom From Torture. Pick either, and respond to the consultation. You have to be heard. [18/26] freedomfromtorture.org/new-plan-for-i…

Follow us @WindrushLives obviously - we will have more suggestions of things you can do to help ad-hoc, and we’ll ask for your help. If you really care about this, make it count. [19/26]

Finally, some thank yous: to Jo and @GoodLawProject for being the Beyonce to our Adidas, first of all. This has been an incredible opportunity to get the stories of victims out to the broadest audience we can manage. [20/26]

Windrush victims have been given a voice by many journalists: @Nadine_Writes, @maybulman, @ameliagentleman, and papers such as @thevoicenews are just a few. (Another thing you can do is follow and support them, inc by paying subs if you can, so the work continues.) [21/26]

A *massive* thank you to @rubysbells who produced and edited the videos of claimants we showed you today. Ruby’s work brought Windrush lives and voices straight to you in a way that 30-part threads with stats and screenshots of text just...cannot. [22/26]

Most important of all, thank you to everyone who has spoken to us, to those who have been fighting and continue to fight, and to the Windrush survivors that are no longer with us, such as Paulette Wilson, Hubert Howard, Sarah O’Connor, Jashwa Moses and untold legions more. 23/26

Thank you for reading/listening/watching. Help us end the #WindrushInjustice and the hostile environment. #BreakTheHE [24/26]

NB: ICYMI, Anthony Williams, who featured in the first video we posted, spoke to @mrjamesob on @LBC today. Check it out: [25/26]

https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1389898312476672002?s=20

NB2: If you aren’t sick of us yet and want to hear more, we @WindrushLives spoke to @TiernanDouieb for his podcast @ParPolBro some time ago - follow him, check it out, etc. [26/26] play.acast.com/s/7bd8cb8a-660…