Hundreds protest against Chagos Islands deal

Hundreds of Chagossians from around the UK gathered in London at a rally calling for a say in the future of the Chagos Islands.

The group said they were angry after the UK government announced a deal last month that handed over sovereignty of their homeland to the Mauritian government.

Dozens of people from Crawley, West Sussex, travelled to the rally in Hackney to express their dismay that Mauritius would have control of Diego Garcia and the other islands in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The Foreign Office said the government was confident it had reached an agreement which respected the interests of the Chagossian people.

The spokesperson said the government was also confident the agreement met its national security objectives and closed off a possible migration route.

Community leaders and politicians are calling for an international referendum of Chagossian people to self-determine the sovereignty of the islands.

Crawley is home to the largest Chagossian community in the UK with more than 3,000 people having settled in the town. Many travelled to the rally on coaches.

Louis arrived in Crawley with his wife Marie and their son Austeen in January.

He said: “We don’t want any more negotiations, we want self-determination. Don’t try to fool Chagossian people. It must remain British islands."

Jean Francois Nellan, a spokesperson for Chagossian Voices, said: “If you look at other overseas territories, in the Falklands the people decided they wanted to be British, people from Gibraltar, they decided they wanted to be British. Why can’t Chagossians have the same right?

“We have a right for self-determination, this is what we’ve been asking. Do a referendum and ask us if we want to be British or Mauritian.”

Conservative peer and former South East MEP Lord Daniel Hannan was among politicians who spoke at the rally.

He called for a referendum of all Chagos Islanders who are dispersed between the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles.

Zia Yusuf, chair of Reform UK, said: “Everything about this deal is appalling.”

He added: “They have not sought permission, they have not sought a mandate, nor have they sought permission from anyone whose lives are going to be affected by this."

Yusuf said the Diego Garcia UK military base was “incredibly important” and they would advocate for the Chagossians to return to the islands under a British flag.

The government spokesperson said Chagossians would remain eligible for British citizenship and were free to make their home in the UK.

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