The Tricolour is a “violent” symbol, comparable to the Nazi swastika, says
Oxford University student activist
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| Ntokozo Qwabe and the Cecil Rhodes statue on Oriel College in Oxford |
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.
“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."
He did not say whether he thought France and Isis were equally bad,
but commented: "I wouldn't say French bombs are somehow less
significant."
• Cecil Rhodes row: Oxford overhauls degrees to be more ‘diverse’
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.
Since Qwabe helped launch the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford campaign, Oriel College announced two weeks ago that it would launch a six-month consultation about the removal of the statue.
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.
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| Ntokozo Qwabe |
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."
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| A small French flag on candle wax on the Place de la Republique in Paris at a memorial for victims of the attacks |
• Cecil Rhodes row: Oxford overhauls degrees to be more ‘diverse’
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.
Since Qwabe helped launch the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford campaign, Oriel College announced two weeks ago that it would launch a six-month consultation about the removal of the statue.
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