Hackney is the first council to officially oppose the criminalisation of Windrush familes, celebrate Windrush Day and call for a public enquiry into the scandal.
Cllr Carole Williams proposed a motion at last month’s council meeting calling for an end to all “hostile environment” measures and for naturalisation fees to be waived. Hackney is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of the Windrush generation.
She said: “The government reached out to commonwealth countries, asking citizens to come to help rebuild following the war. Many responded to the call from the ‘mother country’.
“They experienced the colour bar when looking for a room to rent and often encountered signs that read, ‘no blacks, no coloureds, no Irish’. But, despite that, they made Britain their home.”
Cllr Williams also paid tribute to former councillor Patrick Vernon, who campaigned for Windrush Day to be a national holiday.
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