{{Infobox organization | name = UK Chagos Support Association | logo = UK_Chagos_Support_Association_logo.png | headquarters = London | leader_title = Chair | leader_name = Tom Guha }} The '''UK Chagos Support Association''' was an organisation based in the [[United Kingdom]] that supported the [[Chagossians|Chagossian people]] in advocacy activities and lobbied to improve the welfare of Chagossian people in the UK. Its patrons included [[Ben Fogle]] and [[Benjamin Zephaniah]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-16 |title=One of Britain's most shameful acts will make you wonder why we're proud of our past |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chagos-island-right-to-return-refusal-amber-rudd-ben-fogle-a7421341.html |access-date=2019-06-03 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> [[Philippa Gregory]] was another patron, and she also acted as secretary for the Association.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography |url=http://www.philippagregory.com/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822171956/http://www.philippagregory.com/biography |archive-date=2018-08-22 |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=www.philippagregory.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Doward |first=Jamie |date=2015-04-04 |title=Chagos islanders ‘betrayed’ by UK failure to decide on their return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/04/chagos-island-exiles-decision-betrayal-uk |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
The Association supported the right for Chagossian people to return to [[Expulsion of the Chagossians|the Chagos Islands after their expulsion]] and also lobbied for Chagossians to be compensated and be given access to British citizenship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shabeer |first=Muhammed |date=2019-02-26 |title='The UK should immediately return the Chagos To Mauritius,' said the International Court of Justice |url=https://peoplesdispatch.org/2019/02/26/the-uk-should-immediately-return-the-chagos-to-mauritius-said-the-international-court-of-justice/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Peoples Dispatch}}</ref> It additionally worked to improve the lives of Chagossian people living in the UK. For example, in 2017, it organized a debate with parliamentary candidates in [[Crawley]], which has the largest Chagossian population in the UK, about issues experienced by the local Chagossian community, such as difficulty finding affordable housing, the expense of obtaining a British passport, and lack of support for Chagossian children in local schools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Demetriadi |first=Alexi |date=2017-06-22 |title=Lost in exile: The forgotten Chagos Islanders |url=https://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2017/06/22/lost-in-exile-chagos-islanders-of-west-sussex |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=[[New Internationalist]] |language=en}}</ref> The Association also gave out small grants to Chagossian families in financial need.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Armour |first=Katie |date=2021-01-31 |title=Just £12,000 of £40m fund for displaced Chagos islanders has been spent |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/just-12000-of-40m-fund-for-displaced-chagos-islanders-has-been-spent |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 2020, it worked with Mauritian-Chagossian artist [[Audrey Albert]] to create holiday cards whose purchase raised funds for the association.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-17 |title=Send season's greetings that support Chagossians |url=https://www.chagossupport.org.uk/post/send-season-s-greetings-that-support-chagossians |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118211145/https://www.chagossupport.org.uk/post/send-season-s-greetings-that-support-chagossians |archive-date=2020-11-18 |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=chagos-support |language=en}}</ref>
In November 2022, the Association announced that after running for more than 20 years, it would halt operations. The closure came about because the group had primarily consisted of non-Chagossian volunteers, and they felt volunteer efforts would be of more use in supporting other organizations that had since been established by Chagossians themselves.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-10 |title=Closure statement: UK Chagos Support Association |url=http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/post/closure-statement-uk-chagos-support-association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417151504/http://www.chagossupport.org.uk/post/closure-statement-uk-chagos-support-association |archive-date=2023-04-17 |website=UK Chagos Support Association |access-date=2025-06-26 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Chagos Islands dispute}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute]] [[Category:Human rights organisations based in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Indigenous rights organizations in Europe]]