Cecil Rhodes statue decision welcomed by Robert Jenrick bbc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BBC News
By Michael Race
image captionProtesters have been calling for several years for the statue to come down
The communities secretary has welcomed a decision by an Oxford University college not to remove its statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
MP Robert Jenrick said retaining the statue at Oriel College was in keeping with the government s policy to protect historic monuments.
A decision to remove the statue would need final approval from Mr Jenrick.
Rhodes had been a student at Oriel and left £100,000 - about £12.5m in today s money - to the college through his will in 1902. His statue sits above a doorway on the front of the college s Rhodes Building.
The governing body of an Oxford University college will not take down the controversial statue of Cecil Rhodes at this stage due to “regulatory and financial challenges” presented by its removal.
Oriel College’s decision comes after a long-running campaign demanding the removal of the British imperialist’s monument gained renewed attention amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
An independent inquiry to examine Rhodes’ legacy was set up in June last year after the governing body of Oriel College “expressed their wish” to remove the statue from outside the college.
A majority of members on the Commission supported the college’s original wish to remove the Rhodes’ statue.
An Oxford University college’s decision not to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes has been called “a slap in the face” by campaigners.
The Rhodes Must Fall campaign accused Oriel College of “institutional racism” after the governing body said it would not seek to move the monument at this stage.
The campaigners – which staged protests last summer over the statue of the British imperialist – are urging the college “to reconsider their position immediately” as they pledged to continue their fight.
An independent inquiry to examine Rhodes’ legacy was set up in June last year after the governing body of Oriel College “expressed their wish” to remove the statue from outside the college.
Decision to keep Cecil Rhodes statue at Oxford college a slap in the face ealingtimes.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ealingtimes.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.