Windrush campaigners say monument is 'bittersweet'

"Bittersweet" is how a national monument paying tribute to the "courage and resilience" of the Windrush generation has been described by campaigners on the eve of its unveiling at Waterloo Station and some have chosen to boycott the event altogether, The Independent can reveal.

- NADINE WHITE

The statue of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases - will be revealed at one of London's biggest train stations today to mark Windrush Day.

It was designed by the Jamaican artist and sculptor Basil Watson, who said he was "truly honoured" to have been chosen when the government shared details of the monument last October.

The government, which has provided £1 million in funding for the project, said it will "create a permanent place of reflection and inspiration and be a visible statement of our shared history and heritage".

Patrick Vernon OBE said while the tribute is welcomed, it is "jarring" to some survivors of the scandal while the compensation scheme is not meeting their needs more than four years after the Windrush scandal was brought to light.

"Any recognition for the Windrush generation is always welcomed and I hope there'll be others. But there are issues, in that Windrush victims and survivors of the scandal have concerns because the monument has been funded by the government and the compensation scheme is not meeting their needs," the campaigner said.

Mr Vernon doubled down on ongoing calls for the compensation scheme to be removed from the government's control. "The scheme itself needs to be removed from the Home Office for it to work properly and fairly," he said.

"If the scandal and compensation scheme can be resolved, then we could have a proper Windrush Day where all parts of the Windrush community celebrate the occasion. Until then, it will continue to be bittersweet as the scandal is still present and the needs of the survivors have not been met."

Prominent Windrush survivor Glenda Caesar told The Independent she wasn't invited to the unveiling and nor were other people affected by the scandal who she knows.