Britain slams Oxford University students for removing ‘colonial’ queen portrait
- Students at Magdalen College took down the colourised print of the monarch from their recreation room, saying it represented a colonial past
- The education secretary called the move ‘simply absurd’
The UK government has criticised graduate students at the University of Oxford who removed a portrait of Queen Elizabeth, claiming it represented a colonial past that many found offensive.
The move comes as students across the country have played a leading role in protests against historical figures with links to the British empire or slavery.
The queen “has become the latest victim of cancel culture”, or ostracism of those whose opinions are deemed unacceptable, the right-leaning Daily Telegraph wrote on Wednesday.
Graduate students at Magdalen College took down the colourised print of the queen from their recreation room after a majority vote, because “for some students, depictions of the monarch and the British monarchy represent recent colonial history”, The Times reported.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson reacted angrily on Tuesday night, calling the move “simply absurd”.
“She is the head of state and a symbol of what is best about the UK,” he tweeted.