Oliver Dowden says Bristol Uni should no longer receive public funds
Oliver Dowden says Bristol University should no longer receive public funds after it axed ‘offensive’ National Anthem from graduation ceremonies
- Deputy PM suggested the university was ‘too ashamed of their British heritage’
Oliver Dowden said Bristol University should no longer receive public funds after it axed the National Anthem from its graduation ceremonies after students claimed it was ‘offensive’.
The Deputy Prime Minister criticised the university’s decision to slash the anthem on X: ‘If Bristol University are too ashamed of their British heritage, presumably they no longer want to be subsidised by British taxpayer?,’ he wrote.
The anthem has not been played since last year’s ceremony with the university saying it regularly updates its graduation ceremonies.
God Save The King will now only be played when a member of the Royal Family is present.
Some students at the 147-year-old university have suggested the National Anthem was culled because it is ‘irrelevant’, ‘old-fashioned’ or might even be ‘offensive to some’.
The Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden (pictured) criticised the university’s decision to slash the anthem
The anthem has not been played since last year’s ceremony with the university (pictured) saying it regularly updates its graduation ceremonies
God Save The King will now only be played when a member of the Royal Family is present
Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan also criticised the university and said: ‘This is ridiculous. Universities should stand up for our British values and stop giving in to woke ideology.’
It comes just weeks after the university vowed to remove slave trader Edward Colston’s emblem from its logo, after his statue was toppled during a Black Lives Matter protest in the city in June 2020.
Layla Daynes, 21, told The Sun: ‘The monarchy isn’t really relevant to my generation, so it wouldn’t be missed.’
Free Speech Union director Toby Young asked: ‘Why are Britain’s most prestigious universities openly contemptuous of the country’s history and heritage?’
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “The University routinely updates aspects of its Graduation ceremonies, which included the 2020 decision that the National Anthem would be played when representatives of the Royal Family, such as the Lord-Lieutenant, are in attendance.”
Some students at the 147-year-old university (pictured) have suggested the National Anthem was culled because it is ‘irrelevant’, ‘old-fashioned’ or might even be ‘offensive to some’
Oliver Dowden and Gillian Keegan both criticised the university’s decision on X
In a now-deleted Tweet, Harriet Bradley, 78, who worked at Bristol University, called for ‘someone to blow up the venue’ where the Jewish Labour Movement is hosting its annual conference
It comes after a former Labour councillor and Emeritus Professor Harriet Bradley, who used to work at the university, called for ‘someone to blow up the venue’ where the Jewish Labour Movement is hosting its annual conference.
The 78-year-old has since deleted the tweet.
The offensive post has led to a furious backlash from the Jewish community, with the sociology professor, who studies the ‘inequalities of class, gender, ethnicity’, being reported to the police and her former employer.
READ MORE: Bristol University will remove slave trader Edward Colston’s emblem from its logo – after his statue was toppled during Black Lives Matter protest
Avon and Somerset Police are reportedly investigating the matter as an ‘incident of malicious communications’.
Daniel Sugarman, who is director of public affairs for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, responded: ‘I checked to see if this tweet was real. It is.
‘I’m currently sitting in the building where Jewish Labour held their conference last year, so you can appreciate this is of some additional concern to me. An Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Bristol.’
In late November the university announced it would distance itself further from slave trader Edward Colston following a public consultation centered on whether seven buildings named after families – including Wills and Frys – with links to slavery should be renamed.
Professor Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor and president of the university, announced the decision to strip Colston’s emblem in an open letter, in which she also apologised to those who had experienced racism at the institution.
The personal emblem of the 17th century merchant – a dolphin – was incorporated into the design of the university’s modern logo in 2003 from the coat of arms awarded at the institution’s foundation in 1909.
A university spokesman said the 4,000 students, staff and members of local communities who responded to the survey felt it was ‘crucial to acknowledge and explain the past’ and the historical significance of such figures.
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