TELESFORT Pauline

OHANOGLU Marie
AOUDIA Jessim
FAJNKUCHEN Yaël
West indies and Indians immigrations:

The starting point for Indian and West Indian immigration was the end of World War II.  England was then devastated
by war and needed manpower in many sectors.  On the other hand, India had just obtained its independence in 1947
but at the same time entered into conflicts of territory and religion, which will lead to the separation of part of India
and the creation of Pakistan.  It was in this context that England called on Indian and West Indian workers to help
rebuild the country. At the time  many of them lived in precarious conditions so they accepted with the hope of a
better life for their children and for themselves.

The first ship to leave for the UK was the MV Empire Windrush, on May the 24th 1948.
This ship transported about a thousand of Jamaican people and was followed by others.
A majority of those people were former servicemen who came to the UK hoping to secure employment after war.
A lot of them were worried and scared because the conditions on board weren’t the best. First, the prices were low so
there were lots of migrants in the cabins. Moreover, nobody was used to take a boat and a lot of them were worried to
be rejected after they arrived even if the government said it was okay.
Indeed, at their arrival, a lot of British people were there including media to welcome them.
For those who stayed in the West Indies, they decided to come too after the « success » of the MV Empire Windrush.
This immigration wave continued until the late 1950s because even if they were a lot of racism, their life were better in
the UK than in West Indies.
Today, we count about 490000 Caribbeans in England.

The massive migration from India started in 1947 after India's independence from the UK.
The UK was rebuilding itself after the massive destruction wreaked by World War II, and there were severe labour
shortages. Immigration was one solution to this problem.
A 1948 Act gave Commonwealth citizens free entry to Britain. Many hundreds of thousands came from India to Britain
through the 1950s, not just for short-term work, but settling for good. The South Asian migrants like Indians, Pakistanis
and Bangladeshis also left to escape the civil war. Immigration has continued and increased ever since, resulting in an
ethnic and cultural diversity that would have been unthinkable in 1945.
The migrants were mainly men from middle-ranking farmers' families in Pun jab, especially those who had previously
been employed in the colonial army or police force and their relatives, who took the opportunity.
These Punjabi migrants found work in the manufacturing, textile and the service sectors. After the Commonwealth
Immigrants Act was passed in 1962 which restricted the free movement of workers from the Commonwealth, most
workers from South Asia decided to settle in the UK and were eventually joined by their families.

According to the Indian government since 1947 there have been 1500000 Indians in the UK but they were expatriates
with Indian passports, people with at least one Indian ancestor dating back to the 4th generation, stateless persons
and immigrants. Today, the exact figure of the  source, and  includes both Pakistanis and Indians. Now many of them
have integrated the society very well and became manual workers, cleaners, drivers, and nurses and some broke new
ground in representing black Britons in society. But we must not forget that some are victims of racism and we mist
fight against this.

When the Windies arrived in the UK, they first had to suffer a lot of racism and discrimination coming from British
people, even if the government supported them. They could be refused to have a place to live because of their skin
colour. It often led to little conflicts between the Afro-Caribbean community and the white British. During the 50s, riots
happened in the big cities like London and Nottingham. In 2020, May the 25 th, George Floyd was killed. This act of
racism was the base of the BLM movement, and the Windies didn’t stay indifferent in front of it. In the beginning of a
cricket match, the players formed a semi-circle and observed a minute’s silence in the honour of the West Indie
Everton Weekes, who died the precedent week at the age of 95. They then took a knee in solidarity of the Black Lives
Matter movement.
In conclusion, we can see that the West-Indian community has been in the UK since the after-war, to help rebuild the
country. They came on the Windrush in 1948, with bad health condition aboard. But they are now well integrated in
the British society. They are also really supportive for the movement Black Lives Matter, as some of them are still
victims of racism, which we must not forget and fight against it.