An Oxford University college has blocked a motion to hang a portrait of King Charles in its common room, sparking backlash among sections of the student body.
Magdalen College voted to block the proposal – with those in favour of hanging the portrait complaining of being faced with “intimidation and physical threats”.
The college, which also refused to publish a statement sending good wishes to the King, 75, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, has previously been critical of Britain’s colonial legacy.
Three years ago a portrait of Queen Elizabeth was controversially removed from the common room under grounds that it was a reminder of colonialism.
Claiming that “violence cannot triumph over democracy”, the proposer of the motion issued a statement defending the proposal to erect a portrait of the King.
They described the motion as “supremely uncontroversial” and said it “aims to unify the JCR under positive values inherent in the British system” in a statement exclusively revealed to The Independent.
“The intimidation and physical threats faced towards supporters of the motion have become all too common in Oxford Student Life,” the proposer said.
“Violence cannot triumph over democracy.”
As a result of an alleged “lack of safety stemming from the events of the past few days”, the proposer cannot defend it in person.
They have, however, said that “any attempt” to defer the motion or “remove the immediacy of the statement will be treated as a rejection of the entire motion.”
“Motions do not automatically become deferred due to the lack of a proposer’s presence, especially in circumstances where physical intimidation has impacted the ‘welfare’ of the supporters,” they said.
“This is a simple motion that must be passed. Violence cannot win. Do not let supporters of intimidation win. Vote For this Motion. God Save The King.”
The news comes after a portrait of the Queen was removed from the Magdalen College JCR common room in 2021 when it was described as a symbol of “recent colonial history”.
This decision to remove the portrait of the then-monarch was met with outrage at the time, with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson describing it as “absurd”.
According to minutes from the meeting, the picture’s existence in the common room was seen as inappropriate by some students because of the Monarch’s role as head of the Commonwealth.
“For some students, depictions of the monarch and the British monarchy represent recent colonial history,” the minutes read.
Safaa Baig, a student of philosophy and French at Saint Peter’s College, told The Independent at the time: “There’s definitely a lot of change that needs to happen at Oxford, so I think it’s good that they are recognising that actually all these famous figures do not necessarily have a positive history, especially for minorities and people of colour.”
The portrait of the Queen had hung in the common room in 2013, and while some students did argue for its reinstatement, according to reports, it was never returned.
The Independent has reached out to Oxford University and Magdalen College for comment.
