The statue of Cecil Rhodes that has been a source of contention between pupils and staff at Oxford University will not be removed from campus after authorities said they have received "overwhelming" support to keep it up, according to the Guardian.
Oriel College, which is a part of Oxford, announced the decision on Thursday, stating that "following careful consideration, the college's governing body has decided that the statue should remain in place and that the college will seek to provide a clear historical context to explain why it is there," according to the Guardian. The statue has come under attack as a reminder and glorification of Britain's imperialist history, according to the Guardian.
The opposition to the statue has been headed by a campaign called Rhodes Must Fall, which describes itself as "a movement determined to decolonize the space, the curriculum, and the institutional memory at, and to fight intersectional oppression within, Oxford." The group follows in the footsteps of the successful campaign to remove the Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town last year, according to the Sunday Times.
A leaked report that was meant for the university governors showed that some of Oxford's wealthy alumni were unhappy with the "shame and embarrassment" that the campaign had brought and suggested that it had jeopardized a £100 million gift to the college, according to the Telegraph. A spokesman for Oriel College said that the donation was not, however, the main motivation for the decision, according to the Guardian.
Rhodes Must Fall has referred to Oriel College's decision as "outrageous, dishonest, and cynical," and has promised to "[redouble] our efforts and [meet] over the weekend to discuss our next actions," according to a statement on its Facebook page. The group has called a press conference for Monday Feb. 1 to respond to the college's decision.
