Black Power Against Borders

Grassroots Black Power and antiracist activists were on the frontline of the battle against Britain's restrictive border regime during the late twentieth century. In Manchester, we are working in partnership with the Radical Reading Room Collective and Ascension Church Hulme to better document, preserve and (re)present the history of local anti-deportation and sanctuary campaigns.

Viraj Mendis leads the March to London in July 1986. Photograph courtesy of Chris Proctor.

760 Days of Sanctuary at Ascension Church Hulme

Author's note: We are currently working with a team of local artists to create an installation at the Ascension Church Hulme to commemorate the 760 days that Viraj Mendis took sanctuary in the building during the late 1980s. The installation is structured around a timeline that is reproduced below. Images courtesy of Chris Procter and photographer Charlie Baker.

Viraj Mendis, a Sinhalese Sri Lankan, came to Britain in October 1973 to study at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). During his time in Manchester, Viraj became a member of the Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG) and was active in struggles against imperialism and state racism, including helping to fight and win many anti-deportation campaigns for people affected by Britain's tightening immigration restrictions. In 1984, Viraj was issued with a deportation order, and his supporters mounted a defence campaign including a march from Manchester to London in the summer of 1986.

Day 1- December 1986

Viraj Mendis enters sanctuary in the Church of the Ascension in Hulme after asking for the support of Fr John Methuen and members of the Parochial Church Council.

As a Sinhalese supporter of the Tamil cause, Viraj feared for his personal safety should he be returned to Sri Lanka. However, the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign (VMDC) also waged a broader fight against Britain's racist immigration laws calling on the State to 'Stop All Deportations Now!'

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Day 40 - January 28, 1987

The Labour Party National Executive Committee carries a resolution in support of the right of Viraj Mendis to stay. Later that year, delegates at the annual Labour Party Congress vote unanimously in support of a motion calling on the Party to campaign in defense of Mendis.

Day 49 - February 6, 1987

The sanctuary tactic begins to spread... Rajwinder Singh enters sanctuary in the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Bradford. Fifty-three weeks later on 13 February 1988 he leaves the temple after the Home Office grants him a temporary reprieve to reconsider the case.

Days 113-114 - April 11-12, 1987

VMDC host a national conference at the Church of the Ascension attended by over 500 people.

Day 200 - July 8, 1987

Renukaben Lakhani enters sanctuary in the Shree Sanatan Mandir in Leicester.

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Day 208 - July 15, 1987

Viraj’s Judicial Review takes place in London.

Day 302 - October 18, 1987

Thirteen-year-old Salema Begum enters sanctuary in Chorlton Central Church. Eleven days later on 29 October 1987 she leaves the church after the Home Office grants a temporary reprieve to reconsider the case.

Day 358 - December 12, 1987

The VMDC hosts the first national conference on the issue of sanctuary at the Church of the Ascension attended by 180 people representing different religious denominations and faiths.

Day 365 - December 20, 1987

The VMDC marks one year in sanctuary with ‘a weekend of mass action against the Home Office’ including a national march and street demonstrations.

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Day 420 - 12 February 1988

A group of campaign members are arrested by GMP during the VMDC regular weekly march and come to be known as the ‘Bonsall Street 8’.

Day 508 - May 10, 1988

Viraj’s case is brought before the Appeal Court in London. VMDC members organise a 30 day and 30 night vigil outside the church to defend the sanctuary.

Day 526 - May 28, 1988

The VMDC stage a national demonstration in Manchester as they wait for the verdict of the Appeal Court.

Day 546 - June 17, 1988

The Appeal Court rules against Viraj.

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Day 760 - January 18, 1989

Greater Manchester Police and immigration officials raid the Church of the Ascension and forcibly remove Mendis who had chained himself to a radiator. More than 2,000 people participate in a march on the Moss Side Police Station. Other protests are staged at the House of Lords and Gatwick Airport. Two days after the raid Viraj is deported to Sri Lanka.

Postscript - 1989-2024

After Viraj's deportation, campaign members focused their attention on providing protection in Sri Lanka and seeking a third country that would provide asylum. Several campaign members visited Sri Lanka where Viraj was now involved in efforts to expose ongoing state terrorism and human rights violations. Back in Manchester, former VMDC members set-up the Campaign Against State Terrorism in Sri Lanka (CASTIS) with meetings taking place in the Church of the Ascension.

In 1990, Viraj secured third country asylum in the German city of Bremen where he would lived for the next thirty years with his wife and former VMDC member Karen (photographed). He dedicated the rest of his life to building international solidarity for the Tamil cause as chairperson of the International Human Rights Association - Bremen (IMRV). He passed away peacefully on August 16, 2024.