Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes Scholar says she fully supports tearing down the Cecil Rhodes statue at Oxford University.
Thousands of people have called for a statue of 19th century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes to be removed from an Oxford University college, as debate raged over the removal of other monuments to the nation's colonial past.
Protesters chanted "Take it down" and "Decolonise", and held placards urging "Rhodes Must Fall" and "Black Lives Matter" beneath the statue at Oriel College.
Rebecca Richards, who made history as Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes Scholar in 2010, said tearing down the statue could help promote diversity at the prestigious UK institution.
Demonstrators gather outside University of Oxford's Oriel College during a protest called by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign Source: Getty Images
"I am in full support of taking down the Rhodes statue at Oriel College Oxford," she told SBS News in a statement.
"I see the statue as different from the scholarship, as the statue is largely a recognition of an individual with his imperialist actions and reactionary views as well as his legacy, while the scholarship is an evolving and contemporary legacy that is about its contribution to people and society today.
"The removing of the Rhodes statue is one of many things that can make Oxford more accessible to people of colour," she added.
Ms Richards said the Rhodes Scholarship needed to be seen in a different light to the Cecil Rhodes statue.
"I would not have been able to afford to go to such an august institution if I did not take that scholarship.
"Encouraging young black people not to take up an educational opportunity just because it is in the name of a known imperialist is counter-productive. Even considering this option demonstrates enormous privilege."
Ms Richards was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 2010 to study anthropology at Oxford.
The Rhodes Scholarship is an extremely competitive award for international postgraduate students.
The "Rhodes Must Fall" movement, which began in South Africa, failed in a previous attempt to have the statue removed but has been revived by a wave of anti-racism protests.
Protesters sat with raised fists for nearly nine minutes in tribute to unarmed black man George Floyd, whose death in US police custody triggered outrage and condemnation worldwide.
Sylvanus Leigh, 44, said the limestone statue of the Victorian-era tycoon, who founded the De Beers diamond company in what is now Zimbabwe, represented "a colonial mindset".
The care worker told AFP he could think of more deserving candidates for a statue. "Better to have Mother Teresa or Desmond Tutu," he said.
The leader of Oxford City Council, Susan Brown, said it would be a "good thing" if Oriel, which was founded in 1326, applied for permission to remove the statue.
Demonstrators gather outside University of Oxford's Oriel College during a protest called by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign Source: Getty Images
The protest comes after activists toppled a statue to Edward Colton, a 17th-century merchant who helped build the city of Bristol and played a leading role in slavery.
Years of local debate over what to do with the statue came to an end on Sunday when it was thrown in the harbour.
