Outrage as Windrush exhibition portraits vandalised

LONDON:

A special portrait exhibition which was installed in Windrush Square, Brixton, south London last month to honour members of the Windrush generation was vandalised by unknown person or persons last week. Organisers of the temporary installation have described the attack as ‘deliberate’.

The exhibition titled ‘Windrush Untold Stories’, which celebrates the legacy of the Windrush generation, and was launched at the Big Caribbean Lunch event in Brixton on Windrush Day June 22, was to be on display until July 10, but had paint daubed over some of the faces in the display as well as deep scratches inflicted on all of the 20 photos.

Organised by Friends of the Windrush Square (FWS), the exhibition was the centrepiece of the Big Caribbean Lunch event which drew thousands on Windrush Day and was marking its third staging. Ros Griffiths, chair of the FWS, said the vandalism was an attack on the community.

She said: “This is a deeply upsetting and shocking act of racial disrespect. ‘Windrush Untold Stories’ was created to celebrate the contributions and resilience of the Windrush generation, whose story is central to the fabric of British life. That it should be targeted in such a hateful way is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges we face in building an inclusive and respectful society.

“The deliberate vandalism of this important cultural installation is not only an attack on public art, but a blatant act of racial hatred directed at a community that has given so much to the life and spirit of the UK.

“This wanton act has caused considerable distress to local residents, artists, volunteers and project partners – many of whom are directly connected to the Windrush legacy.”

NO ARREST MADE

Among those featured in the exhibition is the late Clovis Salmon, affectionately known as Sam the Wheels – a pioneering documentarian, photographer and proud member of the Windrush generation. His work chronicled decades of black British history and community life.

Griffiths said: “To see his memory and legacy targeted in such a manner is particularly painful for all who knew him and respected his lifelong contributions.”

The Met Police who are investigating the vandalism said they are keeping an open mind although it could be treated as a hate crime. A statement from The Met said officers spoke to a man but no arrest were made, and that its inquiries were continuing.

Lambeth Councillor Donatus Anyanwu said: “We are deeply saddened that the ‘Windrush Untold Stories’ exhibition has been vandalised, and strongly condemn anyone responsible. This act of vandalism sours the community spirit and sense of unity that we’ve built, but we won’t let an act of criminality derail our commitment to celebrating our diversity, or our commitment to making Lambeth a borough of equity and justice.”

As news about the vandalism spread, many members of the black community took to social media to express their outrage.

EXHIBITION, SYMBOL OF DEFIANT SPIRIT

Among those was journalist Denise Roberts, who posted on Facebook: “I’m of the school of thought that refuses to give these people what they want, which is to upset us, but I refuse to be that too. Their actions tell the story behind the Windrush story: the blatant racism our courageous, humble and generous elders had to endure.

“They can also never erase the memory of the joy on that amazing day in June. They can never undo the great work Ros Griffiths and the rest of the team did in honouring the Windrush elders. The exhibition will continue to stand as a symbol of the defiant spirit of those who came, stayed, and help rebuild Britain, despite what they had to endure.”

This is not the first time a Windrush memorial exhibition in honour of the pioneers who arrived in 1948 was vandalised. In September 2021, the Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories installation at Tilbury Docks, Essex had several of its glass panes smashed. The photographs of Caribbean people and their stories were etched on the glass windows.

At the time, the art and sound installation created by Evewright Arts Foundation was on display in one of the original walkways used by Caribbean passengers as they embarked from the Empire Windrush ship on June 22, 1948.

Artist Evewright said then of the vandalism: “It is only through education and awareness will ignorance and bigotry can be overcome. They can break the windows but they cannot break our spirit and the hard-won unity that exists in our local community in Tilbury and beyond.”