Maxwell Evenor, descendant of Chagossians who became a British subject, spoke to Le Dimanche/L'Hebdo. It highlights the many challenges faced by recently naturalized Chagossians who are British citizens living in the UK.
They were hoping for a better life on British soil. And it is with dreams and expectations in their heads that descendants of Chagossians, naturalized as British citizens, left Mauritius. Today, many of them find themselves homeless in a foreign land. Maxwell Evenor, a descendant of Chagossians who became a British subject and has been living in England for 15 years, regrets the lack of support for the Chagossian community.
If some, who left since November 2023, live with relatives or rent a house or shared house, regularizing their situation takes time. This procedure involves obtaining their national identity number (NI), certificate of morality, bank account, employment, or even applying for universal credit, an allowance of around 300 pounds sterling intended for the unemployed.
However, explains Maxwell Evenor, to obtain universal credit, naturalized Chagossians must first pass the Habitual Residency Test, which allows them to obtain housing. Which implies having resided in England for at least one month. “However, this requirement faces obstacles such as homelessness, language barriers and lack of knowledge of the UK system, not to mention the absence of specific support for Chagossians to help them navigate through this complex process “, he specifies.
Maxwell Evenor points out that families with children are given emergency accommodation because they are considered a priority. Vulnerable people with health problems are assessed for specific needs. On the other hand, he says, adults without children are classified as non-priority and no measures are put in place to help them. Families with children are often moved from one emergency accommodation to another, sometimes far from their family ties, which makes their situation worse and places them in difficult conditions without the necessary support.
Generational delay
“There are currently no local organizations offering assistance, although some Chagossian groups are organizing food donations and providing support with their limited resources, all on a voluntary basis,” continues Maxwell Evenor. “The Chagossian descendants are suffering a generational setback due to the mistreatment by all governments involved. The Chagossians are never heard, their culture is not preserved and their language has almost disappeared, leading to their loss of identity,” he laments.
And Maxwell Evenor denounces: “The international community must judge on the basis of the facts: the Chagossians are an indigenous people forcibly expelled from their land. Relentless policies aim to erase their identity and take away their fundamental rights, such as the right to live on their land and practice their culture and language. »
Demonstration in Crawley
A demonstration is currently taking place in front of Crawley town hall, where Chagossians are sleeping in a tent. “The council has served them with a notice to vacate the premises by 5pm on Tuesday (UK time). No plans are currently available or even under discussion to help struggling Chagossians in the UK. There is no financial plan or housing plan for the Chagossians,” regrets Daniel Aglae.
