The Mayor of London on 30 June marked the 70th anniversary of the Windrush migration at City Hall.
Talks, spoken-word performances and panel discussions took place throughout City Hall, with the conversations and personal testimonies in the Chamber chaired by broadcaster Brenda Emmanus. These included contributions from Afua Hirsch, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Sharmaine Lovegrove and Jennette Arnold and excerpt performances from Talawa Theatre.
The event was opened by the Mayor and Baroness Floella Benjamin, OBE. The top floor of City Hall, London’s Living Room, was hosted by Penguin, featuring a mix of readings and talks from Linton Kwesi Johnson, Nikesh Shukla, Colin Grant and Bernardine Evaristo. Penguin held workshops for children and young adults to get them thinking creatively about storytelling and getting their voice heard. Outside City Hall in The Scoop there was a music stage including performances from Sister Audrey, Alicai Harley and Black Slate.
The central entrance to City Hall featured an exhibition curated by gal-dem - Windrush Women. As part of the Mayor’s year-long #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, this exhibition of portraits and illustrations focussed on pioneering Caribbean women. A West Indian culinary exhibition enabled guests to step inside a kitchen modelled on a West Indian home to explore the region’s heritage, culture and migration through food. The City Hall café also served a range of Caribbean-inspired fare.
Audiences listened to migration audio stories of the experience of arriving in London, giving visitors the chance to hear a range of voices, such as a Nigerian barber who arrived eight years ago, to a Jamaican war veteran and calypso star who came to London in 1933. A conversational booth invited guests to share their own stories with Voluntary Arts and BBC Radio capturing and broadcasting stories on the day about arrival in London. Boat-making workshopsran along with archive material and Windrush suitcases from Hackney Museum.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am proud that City Hall is hosting an event to mark the 70th anniversary of Windrush. The talks, films and exhibitions will demonstrate that in London, we don’t simply tolerate each other’s differences, we celebrate them.
“The recent Windrush scandal has shone a light on an immigration system that is simply unfit for purpose and it was appalling to learn earlier this year that members of the Windrush generation were wrongly deported. I will continue to call on the Government for answers and to right the wrongs and distress they have caused.
“It is simply not right that the Windrush generation who have contributed so much to our city, our communities and our workforce, have been treated this way. This is a direct result of the hostile environment created by this government, which must stop. I will do everything I can in my role as Mayor of London to support the Caribbean community that plays a vital part in making London the great city it is.”
Sadiq Khan tackles vile abuses during speech
Sadiq Khan, who is a seeking second term as London's Mayor in 2020, was heckled with vile abuse and called a "jihadist" by far-right activists at a speech at The O2, that was open to public. It was annual attemp for Khan to interact with Londoners and answer their pressing questions.
During the debate on last Thursday 28 June, supporters of Tommy Robinson caused chaos, shouting "Free Tommy!" at the Mayor and telling him he wasn't welcome in London.
One man shouted: "Trump is welcome here, you're not. Terrorism is not part and parcel of living in a big city!
"You're a disgrace Khan!" He then started a chant, which several people joined in with, singing Tommy Robinson's name.
Security were then forced to throw him and others out of the venue so the debate could continue.
Khan Trump clash
Donald Trump's lawyer has said that Sadiq Khan should be "ashamed of himself" for criticising the US president. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, advised the Mayor of London to focus on leading the capital rather than making comments about Mr Trump, The Sky News reported.
Mr Giuliani made the comments on the sidelines of a conference which called for regime change in Iran.
Mr Trump and Mr Khan have clashed repeatedly since the pair were elected around two years ago.
Their first public sabre rattling was after London bridge attack last summer.
Mr Trump tweeted at the time: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'"
Mr Khan's spokesperson replied to the barb by saying the mayor "has more important things to do" than respond to an "ill-informed tweet" that deliberately took his comments out of context.
Mr Trump is expected to make his visit UK in July. It will be be a low-key working trip, rather than a state visit.
