The Oxford Union has admitted to racism, following controversy over a poster advertising a ‘colonial cocktail’ to be served at a debate about colonialism.
The offending poster, which caused outrage amongst Oxford’s student body, featured an image of a pair of chained black hands, above a picture of the cocktail sold at the event.
Students at the university, which has no control over the centuries old debate society, were outraged by the poster, and dubbed the union institutionally racist.
The poster in question was for a debate which was meant to discuss whether Britain should pay reparations to the countries it previously colonised.
Esther Odejimi, BME officer at the Oxford Union, told Oxford’s student newspaper that she will resign from her role following the criticism. She says: “This ridiculously insensitive poster has been pasted up on the union walls. I’m disgusted at the way they have behaved both towards me, and the wider black community. I want nothing to do with them at all. I’m disgusted. Racism is definitely not dead.”
“Reducing centuries of violent oppression to a humourously named cocktail is simply unacceptable,” Nikhil Venkatesh, Oxford University Student Union’s BME officer,added “We are still living with the damaging legacy of colonialism.
“Sadly Oxford, and especially the Oxford Union, remains dominated by privilege, which is why inconsiderate episodes such as this occur. Oxford students are becoming more aware of these issues, and we have in our student body a number of activists who are trying to effect change in our attitudes to race.”
Following a committee meeting, Oxford Union condemned itself, and branded itself as institutionally racist as a result of the incident.
A spokesperson for Oxford University, which has highlighted that Oxford Union acts completely independently from Oxford itself, said “There is no place at Oxford for the kind of crass and insensitive attitude that the material produced by the Oxford Union suggests.
“While we are confident that it in no way represents the vast majority of Oxford students, racially insensitive comments or behaviour of this or any kind are unacceptable at Oxford and its colleges.”
