The Windrush Betrayal : Exposing the Hostile Environment by Amelia Gentleman (Guardian Faber, 2019)

Betrayal is a strong word. It means calling out disloyalty, deception and, above all, a violation of trust. It is absolutely the right word to describe the trauma and destruction of the lives for those now referred to as the Windrush generation,

Jamaica gained independence on 19th July 1962. Before that it was part of the British Empire. This meant that passengers who disembarked from the SS Empire Windrush ship at Tilbury Docks in England on 22nd June 1948 were officially British citizens.

With hindsight, the problems these passengers subsequently faced could have been forseen. Eleven Labour MPs wrote to Clement Atlee, the Prime Minister of the time, proclaiming “An influx of coloured people domiciled here is likely to impair the harmony, strength and cohesion of our people and social life and cause discord and unhappiness among all concerned.” Faced with such blatant racism, perhaps the only surprise was how long it was before the proverbial shit hit the fan.

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