Cecil Rhodes statue removal call by Oxford University college the ‘right decision’
An Oxford University college’s indication that it wishes to remove a controversial statue of Cecil Rhodes has been hailed as the “right decision” and met with “cautious” optimism from campaigners.
A statement issued by Oriel College on Wednesday night said the governing body had voted in favour of launching an independent inquiry into the issues surrounding the monument to the British imperialist.
It said it “expressed their wish to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes and the King Edward Street Plaque” to the commission.
The decision follows a longrunning campaign demanding the removal of the statue, which has gained renewed attention in recent weeks.
Sizwe Mpofu-walsh, a founding member of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign, said there was “a sense of guarded jubilation” among activists who “feel greatly vindicated”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday morning, he claimed Oriel College had “acted in bad faith before” so campaigners would now work to “ensure it follows through on that wish” and provided “clarity” on the commission. “I think that all efforts will now be directed towards making that intention a reality,” he said.
“I think pressure does need to be put on Oriel to explain exactly what it means by this commission.”
Mr Mpofu-walsh, now a post-doctoral fellow in South Africa, said the statue campaign also covered wider debates on curriculum and the under-representation of black students at Oxford University.
He said: “I hope that the commission that Oriel institutes won’t just focus on how to critically contextualise the statue, but will focus on ways that Oriel itself can become much more representative and in fact can offer scholarships and educational opportunities in the places where Rhodes’s crimes were committed.”