On Monday evening, BBC Radio Manchester launched its new podcast on the life of Viraj Mendis at the Ascension Church in Hulme, the very place where his remarkable story unfolded. While the church’s walls once offered Viraj protection, nearly 40 years later, they held an audience listening as his story was retold and his life celebrated.
Seeking sanctuary
In December 1986, 30-year-old Viraj Mendis sought shelter in Ascension Church under the ancient right of sanctuary. Although considered a medieval practice, the right of sanctuary permitted any person who had committed a serious crime to take refuge in a church. Viraj had come to the UK on a student visa to study electrical engineering at The University of Manchester, but once his visa had expired, he became the target of a British state intent on deporting him back to Sri Lanka, a country facing civil war. Given his support for both the Tamil cause and the UK-based Revolutionary Communist Group, Viraj feared imprisonment and even death on return.
Welcomed by Father John Metheun, Viraj did not leave the church for the next two years. It became not just his home but the frontline of political struggle, where he was protected by the religious community and guarded day and night by supporters of the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign (VMDC).
His presence divided the local community. Some stood in solidarity, taking their protests against the government to the streets of Manchester. Others rejected the idea of a refugee, and a member of the Revolutionary Communist Group, seeking sanctuary in the house of God. The church faced continuous racism and violence, including an attack in which a member of the VMDC was stabbed.
On January 18, 1989, after 760 days, the Home Office eventually ordered police to force their way into the church, where Viraj had handcuffed himself to a radiator. Days later, he was deported to Sri Lanka, where he remained in hiding before relocating to Germany in 1990, where he would spend the rest of his life.
Remembering Viraj with BBC Radio Manchester
The BBC chose to honour Viraj by bringing his story back to the very church where it began. The evening began with a welcome from Father Azariah France-Williams, who narrated the podcast series, before reflections were shared by the producers. They spoke of Viraj’s personal courage and the political urgency of his struggle, describing themselves as “honoured to be telling this story”. Importantly, they framed the podcast not as an archive of the past but as “part of the continuing present”.
This message was deepened when Viraj’s widow, Karen, joined via video call. She spoke fondly of her husband’s determination and his unwillingness to shy away from even the hardest of battles. “Nobody should struggle in isolation”, she told the room, bringing a sense of renewed conviction as she urged today’s campaigners not to lose faith.
We then heard an excerpt from the podcast, which detailed the dramatic night police battered down the church’s doors. In a world so reliant on visual content, the power of hearing audio alone truly brought the moment alive.
Part of the episode was narrated by Tracy Lazard, who was taking her turn to keep watch over the church at the time of the raid. She described the fear within her that night as she suddenly noticed a “stampede” of riot police heading towards the building.
Then and now
Viraj’s struggle was shaped by the political climate of Thatcher’s Britain, where a government eager to appear tough on immigration pursued deportations despite overwhelming humanitarian concerns.
The parallels to today were impossible to ignore. Fast forward to 2025, we see echoes of that discourse in policies aimed at deterring small boat crossings and street protests that cast asylum seekers as problems to be managed rather than people in need of protection.
Just as campaigners rallied behind Viraj, today’s solidarity movements continue to resist an increasingly hostile environment against refugees. Father John’s act of sanctuary serves as a powerful reminder of what communities can achieve when they stand with the vulnerable.
As the evening came to a close, guests were invited to enter the very room where Viraj had lived. The door still bears the marks left by police as they violently broke it down. On the wall hangs the pair of handcuffs he used in protest.
However, stepping inside felt less like looking back into history and more like confronting a story still very much alive. Viraj’s fight for sanctuary is not just a memory of the 1980s; it lives on in the struggles of every person crossing the border today in search of safety.
A living legacy
Father John’s act of kindness resonated loudly, reinforcing that Britain’s true values are those of community, solidarity, and the courage to open our doors and hearts to those in need.
As listeners left the church that evening, there was a sense that Viraj’s cause had only been strengthened. The podcast and the act of gathering to remember him ensured that Viraj Mendis’s legacy continues as a call to action to all of us today who believe in justice.
