“WE’RE NOT HERE FOR FUN” Chagossians Fight to Protect Their British Homeland

[00:00:00]Right, let's go straight to Mizele Mandarin. In the Chagos Islands, Mizele, very good morning to you, sir.

[00:00:05]>> Good morning.

[00:00:06]Good morning, mate. For us it's afternoon already. You got the clock behind you saying 1:00 in the afternoon.

[00:00:12]>> Well, we still got it on Chagos time, man, you know, cuz we we there's a homage homage to you.

[00:00:16]>> You should get the flag. I saw all the flag of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Union Jack. You should get Chagos Island flag as well. I can arrange that for you if you want it.

[00:00:27]>> Listen, yeah, and if you can, yeah, but but we you can probably we were trying to source one here as well, but we'll we'll we'll definitely get one for the next time we talk to you, Poach. What do you reckon?

[00:00:35]>> Yeah, yeah, 100%.

[00:00:36]>> 100%, yeah, definitely. How are you doing?

[00:00:40]>> We Well, better news for us that our circus master has gone.

[00:00:46]And with Andy Burnham, we're still in a kind of limbo situation.

[00:00:53]Uh but for me personally, we are in a better position with Andy Burnham than Ken Starmer, but time will tell.

[00:01:02]>> Yeah, but also Lord Goldsmith has gone.

[00:01:04]And Lord Goldsmith, who was the Attorney General, he was one of the main drivers of this whole ridiculous project to sell off the Chagos Islands, you know? So, I think that's also something that's good in your favor.

[00:01:16]>> Yes, because um the last interview Lord Goldsmith uh with Chris Hope, GB News, he said it's not about international law, it's about national security.

[00:01:30]But this is the problem again, because before they were saying if Mauritius go back to the court, it will be binding that international court. Now, the narrative by the ex-Attorney General is is national security. But we are part of national security. We as British to go soon, we want to secure British territory in the in the Indian Ocean, and we want to secure a very important British and US joint military base that Diego Garcia, which surrounded with geo-geopolitical country, um which is very important to us.

[00:02:09]>> Right. Of course. And so, I mean, Andy Burnham has suggested that they might be picking up um the legislation and trying to reintroduce it into Parliament, but I don't think there's going to be time for them to do that before the summer. So, it means that at least you've got the summer to work on on on on him and on on Labour now to say, "Look, don't just don't bring it back. Just don't do it."

[00:02:31]>> Yeah, but you see, for the the the Chagos deal itself is a curse for whatever Prime Minister come and want to do that deal.

[00:02:44]>> Mhm.

[00:02:44]>> So, if Andy Burnham Andy Burnham, I'm sorry, want to go down that road, that would be his downfall along with him with his Labour government.

[00:02:56]>> Well, that's right. I mean, the thing is they've got an awful lot of things they need to fix in the UK before they start looking at Chagos, to be honest, you know, because the economy is is not doing well. Um they've now got Wes Streeting in charge of the defense of the realm, which is not the greatest idea I think anyone's ever had. Um and you know, hopefully with people like Ross Kemp in the House of Lords, um you guys will be be defended um by a lot more people than than you will be attacked by.

[00:03:25]>> Look, the only thing we're asking right now that the British government, Biden administration, take responsibility of six British overseas territory citizen in their homeland on British territory.

[00:03:42]>> Yeah.

[00:03:43]>> We cannot count on beneficiaries to set yacht for resupply. So, we got a big patrol boat.

[00:03:52]We 130 mi away.

[00:03:55]from the military base.

[00:03:57]We could [clears throat] take responsibility and start to supply us.

[00:04:01]>> Mhm.

[00:04:02]>> Like I said so many times, we are not here for fun. We are not here on holiday. We are on here on a very, very important mission of our life to protect our homeland, to protect national security, and to protect as well that important relationship between two greatest allies in the world, the US and the UK, which Keir Starmer, our ex-military, could not do it, but this is part of our job as well.

[00:04:32]>> Indeed. And how are your supplies? And have you been able to build any kind of structures that you would I think last time we spoke you were going to try and put some structures together that would be a bit more permanent than what you had already. How's that going?

[00:04:45]>> So, we we got a we got a kitchen functioning kitchen. We cook. But, um our supply is is non-existent apart of rice. So, what we are doing right now, we eating only rice and fish.

[00:04:58]>> Mhm.

[00:04:58]>> But, we got um elderly um Chechens with us, like my dad in his 70s, Antoine nearly going to be 70 as well.

[00:05:08]We need vitamins. We need meat. We need other stuff. So, that's why we asking the Biden administration, the British government, please resupply us. We don't want to cause any trouble for those elderly. Ask us Ask me. I'm a young guy.

[00:05:24]I still I will survive with this. But, I'm thinking about those those old gentlemen leaving their place leaving their comfort in Britain, come here and fight in the same in the same uh uh side of of British people. The British government have to look after them.

[00:05:43]>> Yeah. Yes, they absolutely must, and they absolutely should do that. And so, what do you do now for What's the weather going to be like for the next next couple of months where you are? Is it Is it going to be decent enough or what?

[00:05:56]>> So, the the the weather has changed.

[00:05:57]That's why I'm I can't be outside. It's not raining, but it's windy.

[00:06:01]>> Yeah.

[00:06:01]>> But, I'm not talking very strong wind.

[00:06:04]It is a very um settle wind.

[00:06:08]But, um to make video outside, it it it would be difficult. You can't hear anything.

[00:06:13]And and the weather basically because we are in the middle of of of the Indian Ocean, we are are safe from from cyclone.

[00:06:22]So, now we would say is our sum is our winter time, but our winter is very nice. It's about 28°.

[00:06:29]>> Nice.

[00:06:29]>> But, it's windy.

[00:06:30]>> Yeah. Okay. And what's your day like when you wake up? Um what time you wake up? What do you do? Uh how does it How does it play out through the day?

[00:06:39]>> So, we wake up about half seven. That's where the the sun rise.

[00:06:45]>> Mhm.

[00:06:45]>> So, um now um because I have to do this, uh my dad and Antoine and Clifford, they went out to connect to collect uh coconut to get coconut water to drink.

[00:06:59]And uh to um get um wood for fire.

[00:07:04]And uh later on you got um Pascal and Clifford, we going to go fish to get to catch some fish. So, we going to put them some reserve um in our fridge to have some stock. So, our day is like this, and some part of it we going to clean the beach, collecting water.

[00:07:20]>> Yeah.

[00:07:20]>> So, we've been here over six six months now.

[00:07:23]>> Right.

[00:07:23]>> We very um accommodate ourselves to to um to the life of Chagos Island, and we're very happy about it. But, the only thing we need like basic stuff like vitamin, mosquito nets, uh a water machine as well, which is very important. Instead of going to the world and collect water, we can produce our own water using the sea sea water to do it and then life getting more easier for us.

[00:07:50]>> Yeah, that would be good. And you look you look well on it, but I mean they took the water purifiers away, didn't they? Last time the the aid boat came and they you should you should have had a machine to do that, but they they wouldn't let you have it.

[00:08:03]>> So, that that that's the part of of the the the government uh wrong strategies under Keir Starmer where something like that like humanitarian stuff for us not being allowed on the island.

[00:08:18]And well, very hopeful with Andy Burnham now we're going to build a different relationship with him.

[00:08:26]And uh basically in Manchester where he come from the second largest population of Chagossean is in Manchester.

[00:08:36]And uh we pray so he have like the human decency to us British Chagossean on British territory to to help with with with the water supply.

[00:08:49]>> Yeah.

[00:08:50]Well, we will try and get that message to him as well as best we can, Mazi. And look after yourself and and enjoy the rest of the day. Thank you so much for talking to us. Mazi Men in there uh who is of course the first minister of Chagos Islands um and what a great guy um and what an interesting day >> Mhm.

[00:09:05]>> that they spend [clears throat] looking for um for fish, collecting coconuts for coconut But also they should have been able to make their own water because there was water purifying machines being delivered to them uh on a boat, but the customs officials and the British Border Force who were patrolling uh against them landing on the on the islands um took the water purifiers away.

[00:09:26]Inexplicably, it wouldn't allow them to to to be given over. So, that's an absolute disgrace, it seems to me.