THIS is the portrait of the Queen which has been dumped in a store cupboard by woke Oxford students.
A committee of students in Magdalen college agreed the painting of Queen Elizabeth would be taken down because she “represents colonialism.”
The portrait will now be replaced by “art by or of other influential and inspirational people.”
AI computer whizz Matthew Katzman, 25, who is living in Britain to do research for Google, tabled the motion to “cancel” Her Maj’s image.
The 1952 picture has now been shoved in a cupboard at the elite Magdalen College.
Woke warrior Katzman was brought up in a £3m mansion in the leafy suburbs of Washington DC and attended prestigious £34,000-a-year Quaker Sidwell Friends School in the US capital.
Dubbed “the Harvard of Washington’s private schools”, Sidwell boasts Chelsea Clinton, Malia and Sasha Obama and the grandchildren of current US President Joe Biden as alumni.
His father Scott is currently a partner at international law firm Steptoe & Johnson where he has won awards for his work on mergers and acquisitions.
The brain box took two degrees in Maths and Computer Science at Stanford University before being accepted for doctoral studies at Oxford where he won a scholarship funded by Google’s artificial intelligence company, DeepMind.
The president claimed the move was not a “statement on the Queen” but aimed at creating a “welcoming, neutral place for all members regardless of background, demographic, or views”.
Katzman added: “The Royal Family is on display in many areas of the college, and it was ultimately agreed that it was an unnecessary addition to the common room.
“The views of the MCR do not reflect the views of Magdalen College, and the aesthetic decisions made by the voting members of its committee do not equate to a statement on the Queen.
“Indeed, no stance was taken on the Queen or the Royal Family – the conclusion was simply that there were better places for this print to be hung.”
A majority of 10 to 2 members of the Middle Common Room (MCR) – a committee for post-grads – passed the motion, tabled by Katzman.
He told the committee: “The queen represents an institution responsible for much of colonialism throughout history and the modern era, and these depictions cause some students discomfort.”
It was passed despite opponents pointing out The Queen oversaw decolonisation and was “a force for good”.
Magdalen law undergraduate Oliver Clement, 19, said: “This was just a very vocal minority and it’s not reflective of the prevailing attitude of most Oxford students.”
PM Boris Johnson last night backed education minister Gavin Williamson’s comments calling the decision “absurd”.
One Oxford alumnus, who opposes the move, told The Celeb Report: “When did it become such a problem for Oxford to be British?
“Surely these people knew where it was before they moved here?
“It’s really worrying arrogance when people think they can move to any part of the world and edit its history because it doesn’t suit them.”
The removal of the portrait sparked an outcry – led by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
He fumed: “Oxford University students removing a picture of the Queen is simply absurd.
“She is the Head of State and a symbol of what is best about the United Kingdom.
“She has worked to promote British values of tolerance, inclusivity & respect”
During the vote to remove the picture one student commented that “patriotism and colonialism are not really separable” .
While another added that the picture of Her Royal Highness must be ditched because “This is about our communal space and making people feel welcome”, according to Guido Fawkes.
And in the future if any pictures of the Queen or the Royal family are to be hung in the common it must be decided by a vote.
The decision has caused uproar among the university’s royalists who believe cancel culture has taken a step too far.
According to the committee’s minutes, one opponent in the vote said: “In an era where debates on no-platforming and cancel culture rage strong, effectively ‘cancelling’ the Queen and brandishing her as a symbol of colonialism – so often used as a synonym for racism – sends a dire message that is sure to enrage.
“Moreover, it is culturally insensitive for a common room so heavily comprised of international students to seek to remove a national symbol from a British institution.
“The cultural heritage of all nations has the right to be respected, and a common room that does not do so cannot claim to be inclusive.”
Now celebrities and royal fans have taken to social media to give their two cents on the decision.
Ex-Good Morning Britan host Piers Morgan writer on Twitter: “FFS. These woke lunatics are beyond parody.
“Can we vote to have Monarch-ordered Tower of London imprisonment powers restored for these insolent wastrels?”
Meanwhile Lord Patten said: “Freedom of speech allows even intelligent people to be offensive and obnoxiously ignorant.
“I hope it does not do too much damage to the reputation of the college. I am sure old members of the college will try to be charitable in their assessment.”
While Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs, said: “The sad thing is that you would think that the people of Magdalen College Oxford are reasonably bright, and this decision would suggest that they are not.
“The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth and respected across the world as such, and to try to suggest anything otherwise is a dishonest distortion. The people involved should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”
It comes after a university was forced to apologise for their tribute to Prince Philip after staff complained about the Duke’s “racist and sexist comments.”
Woke staff at King’s College London were outraged at an email bulletin following the Duke’s death in April – which showed a picture of him opening a university library in 2002.
After the Duke’s death earlier this year, the university’s interim principal, Professor Evelyn Welch, issued a public statement praising his “long and valued association with King’s.”
Prince Philip had been a governor at the university since 1955 – and had visited the official opening of one of the libraries in 2002.
But staff members were outraged after being sent the picture of the Duke visiting the Maughan Library.
The university’s anti-racism group complained that the email caused “harm” because the Prince had made a number of racist and sexist comments in his lifetime.
Following weeks of tension, Joleen Clarke, the associate director at King’s College libraries, sent out an apology.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://thecelebreport.com/royalty/lizzie-cundy-claims-former-friend-meghan-markle-named-baby-lilibet-after-her
