The Oxford University student behind the demand to remove Cecil Rhodes’ name from the Rhodes Scholarship now has another demand — ban the French flag on campuses.
The student, Ntokozo Qwabe, has a history of activism in demanding the removal of “offensive” materials. His first project was the “Rhodes Must Fall” campaign demanding the removal of a statute of Cecil Rhodes; in an ironic twist, it turned out that he attended Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship which he apparently does not intend on repaying.
The Telegraph reports on the new demand to ban the French flag:
The law graduate behind a controversial campaign to remove a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from Oxford University’s Oriel College has turned his attention to the French flag, saying he’d support its ban on all university campuses.
Ntokozo Qwabe, co-founder of Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford, says France has committed acts of terror and refused to concede that Isis is worse than the French state.Following last month’s Paris attacks, in which 130 people were murdered by Isis, 24-year-old Qwabe wrote on his Facebook page: “I refuse to be cornered by white supremacist hashtagism into believing that showing my disgust for the loss of lives in France mandates identifying with a state that has for years terrorised – and continues to terrorise – innocent lives in the name of imperialism, colonialism, and other violent barbarities.
Stunning.
The Telegraph continues:
“I do NOT stand with France. Not while it continues to terrorise and bomb Afrika [sic] & the Middle East for its imperial interests.”Qwabe claims the statue of Rhodes depicts a “racist, genocidal maniac” who was “as bad as Hitler” and has gained more than 2,000 student supporters in his campaign to have it removed, but others have called him a hypocrite as he is studying at Oxford after winning a Rhodes scholarship to the university.Asked if he was implying that the French state is a terrorist organisation akin to Isis, Qwabe told The Sunday Times: “Well, [France] has committed acts of terror in numerous parts of the world.”. . . . Branding the French flag a “violent symbol”, Qwabe said he would support a campaign to remove it from universities. “I would agree with that in the same way that the presence of a Nazi flag would have to be fought against,” he said.
What’s next on the ban list?
Oh, I think I know.
[Featured Image via Ntokozo Qwabe Facebook]
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