Last Updated on February 17, 2022
A short clip from a presenter interviewing Black Lives Matter protesters, reportedly in Oxford, asking two men why they were calling for the removal of a Cecil Rhodes statue went viral as the protesters did not know who he was.
As much of the West has experienced dozens of Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody, the United Kingdom and Belgium have had statues of problematic historic figures torn down or vandalized.
The controversial Cecil Rhodes statue has been subject of ample debate in the past few years as students have called for the imperialist’s removal from the university.
The brief snippet was introduced in a tweet captioned, “Yesterday’s protest at Oxford for the removal of the Rhodes statue… ‘To be honest I don’t even know who he is’ – BLM protester.”
The interviewer asks the men, “Do you support tearing down the [Cecil Rhodes] statue?”
“Yeah,” one of the men replies, to which the interviewer continues, “Why are you against it?”
Hesitating, the man answers, “To be honest, I don’t actually know who he is.”
Yesterday's protest at Oxford for the removal of the Rhodes statue…
" To be honest I don't even know who he is" – BLM protester pic.twitter.com/dkz7rOfUL0— David Poulden (@DavidPoulden) June 10, 2020
Rhodes was a 19th century statesman who sought to expand British rule throughout the world, with eyes set on reclaiming the lost American colonies, reuniting South Africa under British rule, and eventually became Prime Minister of Cape County. In his will, he created the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford.
The protesters’ lack of knowledge of the historical figure they were rallying against stirred social media.
“And this has just proved my point, they haven’t got a clue about the history of the things they hate, they just do so because they are being told to,” commented one person.
And this has just proved my point, they haven’t got a clue about the history of the things they hate, they just do so because they are being told to
— Louisa (@baronesspawsey) June 10, 2020
Another person tweeted: “Why would this be a surprise? These protests are nothing more than protests for protest sake with many participants solely there to cause trouble. The sooner the police get a grip of this the better before we have full blown riots on our streets.”
Why would this be a surprise? These protests are nothing more than protests for protest sake with many participants solely there to cause trouble. The sooner the police get a grip of this the better before we have full blown riots on our streets
— Steak & Kidney Pie (@PhatPhilsFood) June 10, 2020
“Exactly the idiots protesting have know idea who the statues represent. Over 50% of young people think it’s Nelson Mandela on top of Nelsons column. The other half don’t even know who Nelson Mandela is,” remarked a third.
Exactly the idiots protesting have know idea who the statues represent. Over 50% of young people think it’s Nelson Mandela on top of Nelsons column. The other half don’t even know who Nelson Mandela is.
— Roger Parker (@RogerPa44323186) June 10, 2020
King Leopold II, Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and Edward Colston all had their statues either torn down or defaced as protesters took a stand against what these historical figures purportedly represented.
