Oxford students remove portrait of the queen as she represents colonialism

[NutellaEllaElla]

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I am neither pro, nor anti monarchy and have no wish to become like Thailand where insult to the monarch is a punishable offence. Also, if they had chosen to take down the portrait because they were redecorating and it's a bit stuffy to have a portrait of the queen then fair enough. But this political statement....isn't it a bit rude? To the country? I mean, it's not as if Oxford is a bastion of equality so they're in a glass house throwing those stones.
I'm a bit bemused by it all, anyone else?

it's not as if Oxford is a bastion of equality

Quite, I doubt if the £21 billion Oxford colleges are sitting all came from 'ethical' gifts and endowments. St John's, for example, gets most of their money as landlords of parts of Oxford, and we all know what MNs users think of Landlords.

I've just been reading about Ollie Robinson, the 'cancelled' cricketer. I wonder what these students would think if they realised that five years from now they would be cancelled by and could not get any HM Govt type jobs.

Speaking for 'the country', I do not find it rude. And it's good to think of colonialism being viewed so negatively in somewhere like Oxford university, which as you say, isn't exactly a bastion of equality.

Performative wokery at its finest.

My reaction was so what - it’s a student common room. As long as it is stored safely then other students/staff or some of the people offended could put it up.

I’m British with parents who emigrated from a country that was colonised - plenty more things to concern me such current racism here and cut in foreign aid budget.

I agree Blowing.

If it had been a picture of Queen Victoria in her role as Empress of India I could understand, but otherwise this is just an example of up-their-own-arses crass wokery.

Complete non-story blown up by the media with its silly Oxbridge focus. Sensible response by College president here (reported in Guardian):
“The Middle Common Room is an organisation of graduate students. They don’t represent the College. A few years ago, in about 2013, they bought a print of a photo of the Queen to decorate their common room.

“They recently voted to take it down. Both of these decisions are their own to take, not the College’s. Magdalen strongly supports free speech and political debate, and the MCR’S right to autonomy. Maybe they’ll vote to put it up again, maybe they won’t. Meanwhile, the photo will be safely stored.”

Rose added: “Being a student is about more than studying. It’s about exploring and debating ideas. It’s sometimes about provoking the older generation. Looks like that isn’t so hard to do these days.”

Would you want a photo of the Queen up in your living space/work common room? Particularly one meant to feel welcoming to range of people from different countries and backgrounds. I doubt they have photos of any other heads of state, religious leaders etc either. I'm more surprised that they decided to put it up in 2013.

This isn't 'cancel culture', it's wanting to relax in a space that doesn't look like a Tory MP's office. Who can blame them!

dictatorships have portraits of the dictator up in every home and workplace - think of Mao portraits all over China.

this is not part of the UK tradition and there is no reason the MRC should have a portrait of the queen up if they don't want it. they could just be redecorating. someone on twitter suggested they might need space for a Euro-football results table! good for them.

It's a student room. Not an official office. Why was there an image of the Queen there anyway? This isn't Cuba with images of Fidel in every cafe.

Completely agree with @Blowingagale - no idea why people are encouraging a group of students to take themselves so seriously (it's rarely a good idea to encourage them to be more pompous and sanctimonious ) but if it were almost any other university no-one would give a shit that a group of students had voted to redecorate their common room.

I'm much more puzzled by the purchase of the portrait in 2013 tbh.

Why are they making headlines about someone taking a picture down? Really, why?

Culture wars are all about blowing a few isolated incidents out of all proportion. It's not like we all have portraits of the queen on the wall!

@Melitza

I'm much more puzzled by the purchase of the portrait in 2013 tbh.

Indeedy.

They removed a picture from a wall. How anarchic 🙄

It tickles me that so many of these virtuous performances requires precisely zero effort. If someone had to actually do something labour intensive or give something valuable up (the family title or country pile) they’d suddenly find the statue/the portrait completely benign. But as long as it has zero impact on your life then it’s ‘off with their heads’. Pathetic.

Maybe it was this portrait of the Queen and they didn't fancy it anymore?

Ha that portrait of the queen Matt Hancock is sat with is a Damien Hirst no less! A donation from the artist to the uk government art collection .
Why our government are hoarding multi million pound art works to decorate offices while is another interesting matter.
As for Oxford yes, glass houses!

Maybe they should just have voted for the right to take the portrait down. And nominated a potential storage box.

Everyone happy. Good practice for the diplomatic service.

Rose added: “Being a student is about more than studying. It’s about exploring and debating ideas. It’s sometimes about provoking the older generation. Looks like that isn’t so hard to do these days.”

Yes love you’re basically Trotsky now, so provocative. Go storm that palace.

@Wrongsideofhistorymyarse

Performative wokery at its finest.

Exactly this!

Yet another example of the right wing press trying to whip gullible people into a froth about "wokesters" and "cancel culture."

How dare Oxford students condemn slavery and exploitation. After all, it was on the basis of slavery and exploitation that many in Britain became wealthy and great.

The bloody cheek of these students.

@Wrongsideofhistorymyarse

Performative wokery at its finest.

Wow, aren't you just so great to be able to write such big words, Wrongsideofhistorymyarse.

Pity, you have little understanding though.