Banished from the student bar – ‘racist’ statue that didn’t spark single complaint
A STATUE of a Native American in a student union bar has become the latest victim of ‘snowflake’ campus politics.
The lifesize wooden sculpture was deemed ‘racist’ and removed on the orders of student leaders at Queen Mary University of London – even though no one had complained about it.
A mascot for student sports teams, the statue had pride of place for years in the Griff Inn and Kitchen, a popular drinking spot for medical students at the elite Russell Group university.
Critics blamed the ‘tide of political correctness’ sweeping through campuses for its removal and a fresh example of Generation Snowflake – young adults more prone to taking offence than previous generations.
Only last week, Kent University students’ union decreed that Native American costumes should not be worn at fancy-dress parties.
In the latest case, student union activists at Queen Mary’s Whitechapel campus in East London, near the historic St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the Royal London Hospital, labelled the statue ‘racist’ and ‘disgusting’.
According to minutes of meetings of Barts and The London Students’ Association, seen by The Mail on Sunday, a member of the black and ethnic group first raised the issue of removing the statue ‘as it is offensive’. Another representative suggested encouraging students to lodge complaints about it ‘as it is a racist statue’. But a later meeting was told that the statue had still not been removed ‘as no students have complained about it’.
The minutes record that one delegate ‘felt this wasn’t the point – it was offensive so it shouldn’t be there. It might be students find it offensive but don’t know the correct channels to report it’.
One representative cautioned that ‘we need to be mindful of the sports teams as they have an affiliation to it’. But another felt ‘this wasn’t a justifiable reason – why should we be mindful of racists?’
According to the minutes, she ‘emphasised that this is a big issue – a disgusting representation of an indigenous group – it needs to be removed’. The meeting was then told there had already been ‘staff involvement in the process’ and ‘it will be removed’.
Criticising the decision, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said: ‘Students’ unions have always looked for causes. But a worrying trend seems to be developing whereby they look for more and more incidents of what they call racism.
‘The removal of this statue when no students could be found to complain that it was offensive is just the latest absurd example of the tide of political correctness that seems to be sweeping through the universities. Any racism here is in the eye of the beholder rather than the statue itself.’ Defending the statue’s removal, Tom Longbottom, president of the Association, said last night: ‘Barts and The London has a great deal of history and we have frequently had odd relics around our Association building.
‘ The statue was removed as some students had raised concerns and it also no longer fitted in with the look, feel or atmosphere of the venue.’
In the United States, campaigners have targeted similar statues – once commonly used to advertise tobacco products.
There are also efforts to force the American football team the Washington Redskins to change their name.