A group of 150 academics have announced they are boycotting a University of Oxford college and refusing to teach its students over a failure to remove the controversial statue of Cecil Rhodes.
The protest came after its governing body said last month it would keep the statue due to the "financial challenges" of removing it.
Campaigners want the statue taken down because they say Rhodes, a 19th-century businessman and politician in southern Africa, represented white supremacy and colonialism.
The academics said they would boycott tutorials for Oriel’s undergraduate students and refuse to provide assistance for any outreach work, including interviewing candidates.
They pledged to withdraw from all talks, seminars and conferences organised by Oriel and boycott recruitment and assessment processes for fellowships.
Robert Gildea, professor of modern history at Oxford, said the boycott was designed to pressure the college into removing the statue as all other attempts had failed.
"The statue is not acceptable to Oriel students themselves, it's not acceptable to many people in other colleges who are making huge efforts to increase diversity and inclusion," he told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.
“There is plenty that is done and has been done [at the university], it’s just that Oriel College seems to be out on a limb.”
An inquiry commissioned by the college recommended the statue should be removed.
The academics said Oriel's decision not to remove the statue undermined efforts to eradicate racism at the university.
“The collegiate university can only effectively and credibly work to eradicate racism and address the ongoing effects of colonialism today if all the colleges do so. Oriel College’s decision not to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes undermines us all,” they said.
“Despite votes in favour from its student common rooms and despite an earlier vote of the governing body expressing their wish to remove it, Oriel has now decided not to.
“Faced with Oriel’s stubborn attachment to a statue that glorifies colonialism and the wealth it produced for the college, we feel we have no choice but to withdraw all discretionary work and goodwill collaborations.”
Announcing its decision to keep the statue three weeks ago, Oriel said the time frame and cost were “considerable obstacles”.
“The governing body has carefully considered the regulatory and financial challenges, including the expected time frame for removal, which could run into years with no certainty of outcome, together with the total cost of removal,” the college said.
In a separate dispute at Oxford on Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait at Magdalen College was taken down because of the monarch’s “colonial links”.
Members of the Magdalen College Middle Common Room, which is made up of graduate students, overwhelmingly voted to remove the artwork.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the move was “completely absurd”.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
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Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
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Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)
Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)
Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)
Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)
Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)
Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)
Eibar v Alaves (7pm)
Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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