A PUBLIC Windrush memorial has been vandalised in a suspected hate crime.

The Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, which honours the arrival of the Windrush generation from the Caribbean, has had several of its glass panels smashed. The panels featuring images of passengers in 1948.

Everton Wright, the creator of the Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories memorial, told The Voice, he believes the images were shot at with “a high velocity weapon.” 

He said: “I am adamant it is a hate crime because you can clearly see the images of Black people and in one of the pictures, a Caribbean man has had his entire body fired away, with just his legs and face left in view.

“It is not acceptable and I feel it for my community.”

A police spokesperson said: “This incident is being treated as a racially motivated criminal damage.”

We will resist those that wish to silence us. I will continue to create spaces through art for Black British stories to be seen and heard.

Everton Wright

Mr Wright is the artistic director at the Evewright Arts Foundation (EAF), which is a not for profit voluntary community organisation.  

EAF has been awarded a Windrush Day Grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to contribute to the Tilbury Walkway of Memories installation.

Mr Wright said the damage on the exhibition hurts especially as he is a direct first descendant of the Windrush generation.

He said he is unsure who damaged the display but believes the heightened discussions in media surrounding immigration and the recent crisis in Afghanistan may have prompted the attack. 

He said: “It has been in that location for about a year without any damage whatsoever. 

“But it was first vandalised during the Bank Holiday weekend on 28th August. 

“It started off with just two broken windows and that has now escalated to ten.”

Mr Wright was so shocked at the damage he reported the incident to the police.

The art and sound installation is on display on one of the original walkways used by the Windrush generation as they disembarked in the ship on 22^nd June, 1948, at Tilbury Docks in Essex.

The art display, features over 130 people from the Windrush era and their families through photographs, documents and audio, which tells their stories in their own words. 

Mr Wright revealed to The Voice, when he was creating the art display many of the Windrush generation he spoke to, were reluctant to discuss the racism they had encountered in Britain and now he feels it is his duty to raise awareness about the “race hate crime.”

He said: “I can’t not speak up about this because they were silent, I refuse to be.

“I need to speak up to defend them and their image.”

Mr Wright feels disappointed this has happened, especially as he worked diligently throughout the pandemic to create the exhibition. 

In a statement released to The Voice, Mr Wright also said: 

“I am part of the next generation and we will resist those that wish to silence us. I will continue to create spaces through art for Black British stories to be seen and heard.

“It is only through education and awareness will ignorance and bigotry 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.”

Prominent Windrush campaigner and social commentator, Patrick Vernon, told The Voice the vandalism needs to be treated as a hate crime. 

He said: “This is a hate crime and cultural terrorism against the Windrush generation.

“It is another attempt to try and denigrate and supress the contributions of the Windrush generation to Britain.

“Whoever did it, went there on more than one occasion and 

deliberately targeted it and to me it is definitely a hate crime.”

Mr Vernon said attacks on memorials for Black people is nothing new in the UK and more should be done to protect them.

He said: “The plaque for Stephen Lawrence in Eltham has been damaged a number of times. 

“Anything to do with Black history always gets defaced and is more vulnerable.”

Mr Venon told The Voice, because people who are racist cannot physically attack Black people anymore, they are now doing so, by hiding behind social media or attacking symbols which represent the Black presence in the UK. 

“The Marcus Rashford mural was also attacked recently, anything which represents us is under threat,” he added. 

The Voice has contacted Essex Police for a statement. 

Supt Naomi Edwards of the West Local Policing Area said: “Myself and colleagues at Essex Police were extremely saddened to hear that such a culturally and historically significant art exhibition has been subject to damage – this is unacceptable on every level.

“These offences had not been reported to Essex Police, rather they had been reported to our colleagues at the Port of London Authority Police.

“However, such is our concern at these incidents, that we are working alongside our policing colleagues to support their investigation and are undertaking enquiries to establish who may be responsible in order that we can arrest them and bring them to justice. I have also contacted the artist personally to offer reassurance and support.

“We will not stand by whilst people commit crimes in our communities and we will do all we can – including working with our partners – to protect and serve our communities, support victims and arrest criminals.”

A police spokesperson added: “Having spoken with and listened to the artist Everton Wright, known as Evewight, who is responsible for this fantastic exhibit, this incident is being treated as a racially motivated criminal damage.

“The matter is being investigated by the Port of Tilbury Police in conjunction with Essex Police. Currently, no arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing. We would ask that if any members of the public have any information please contact the police control room at the Port of Tilbury on 01375 846781.”

For more information on The Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, please visit: https://www.evewrightarts.org/