An effigy of US President Barack Obama was burned over the weekend by members of the Conservative student association at St Andrews University.
The incident is understood to have taken place on Friday evening on the town's East Sands beach.
One of those who attended said members of the association had ''no input'' and were ''surprised'' to discover Obama was on the bonfire.
The St Andrews Conservative Association apologised for any offence caused.
The university said it was aware of the reports and had asked to meet the president of the society to discuss ''very understandable concerns''.
A spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Matthew Marshall, president of the St Andrews Conservative Association, said: ''President Obama is an important ally to the British government. It was a stupid thing to do and we apologise for any offence caused.
A spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Matthew Marshall, president of the St Andrews Conservative Association, said: ''President Obama is an important ally to the British government. It was a stupid thing to do and we apologise for any offence caused.
Some may argue that Left wing students have in the past burned effigies etc of Magraet Thatcher but the difference here is that there is more than a hint of racism in the burning of an effigy of Obama
And it can not be dismissed as a youthful prank because it shows hidden depths of racism from those who cannot accept that a Blackman has been elected a President of the U.S.A,
Most of the who tool part at the gathering were probably shocked when they found out what had occurred but unless they take immediate action by expelling those responsible than they will be tainted with this stupid act .
Of course some of us remember similar behavior from Conservative students before.
In the late 80 as Student a t a mature Aberystwyth I was generally shocked when what was then Called Federation of Conservative students
- Dressed in Springbok rugby jerseys in order to show their support for the South African apartheid regimes .Some of whom greeted each other with Nazi salutes claiminfgthey were being ironic.
- Racially abused a member of the Student Union Staff for which individual members were suspended from the Union.
- Went on a drinking Binge to celebrate the rise of Adolf Hitler to power. Which was too much for the Conservatives themselves and they were disbanded.from the current association emerged
The last Chairman of the F.C.S. (1986) in the year it was disbanded was John Bercow now of course the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Who knows where those on the Beach at St Andrews will be in 15 years time ? some may well l have important positions in the party some may well be in the House of Commons even in the Cabinet I just hope this comes back to haunt them
4 comments:
I think Obama is doing quite a good impersonation of G W Bush. Guantanamo? UAV's in Pakistan? Libyan invasion? ....and next, Iran. Is it possible to withdraw a Nobel peace prize once it's been given? Because, that is what should happen.
I dont think burning an effigy of Obama is racist.
Would anti war protestors burning an effigy of Bush be racist? I think not.
I think the above comments miss the point I was trying to make but in away they answer each other.
It is clear to me that the burning of the effigy of Obama was not a Left-Right issue or Pro-Anti war it was clearly because of the colour of his skin.
I was in Aber in the late 70s/ early 80s. I remember there were issues around FCS 'harbouring' the Monday Club, which was insanely right wing. FCS shushed them up, but didn't disassociate themselves. The Party's candidate for the 1979 election was one Emlyn Thomas who started a speech to the party faithful with the words 'When we had an empire...' and went on to inply to that we should re-acquire it. Totally bonkers. I saw training materials for FCS, which included a totally insane family tree of the imagined marxist conspiracy. Totally barking.
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