Oxford college recommends removal of Cecil Rhodes statue
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The governing body of Oxford University’s Oriel College on Wednesday recommended the removal of a statue of Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes that has long been the target of protests — though it won’t be taken down immediately.
The college’s governors said they had “voted to launch an independent Commission of Inquiry into the key issues surrounding the Rhodes statue.”
In a statement, Oriel College’s governing body, made up of faculty, said they had “expressed their wish to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes” and a plaque to him, adding that “this is what they intend to convey to the Independent Commission of Inquiry.”
Rhodes made a fortune in the late 19th century from gold and diamond mines where miners labored in brutal conditions. He was an education benefactor whose legacy includes Oxford University’s prestigious Rhodes scholarships, which have been awarded to international students for over a century.
A campaign has sought the removal of his statue in Oxford since the death of George Floyd spurred anti-racism protests worldwide and a renewed debate on colonialism and its legacy in Britain.
Other historical monuments and statues around the world, honoring figures from Christopher Columbus to Belgium’s King Leopold II, have since become flash points in protests.
