Bristol University axes the National Anthem from graduation ceremonies amid students’ claims it is ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘offensive to some’
- God Save The King will now only played when member of Royal Family is present
Bristol University has axed the National Anthem from its graduation ceremonies with some students claiming it is ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘offensive to some’.
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’.
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.’
God Save The King will now only be played when a member of the Royal Family is present. Pictured: King Charles during COP28
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’
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
Free Speech Union director Toby Young asked: ‘Why are Britain’s most prestigious universities openly contemptuous of the country’s history and heritage?’
MailOnline has contacted Bristol University for further comment.
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.
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 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
Black Lives Matter protesters gathered to pull the bronze statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston from its plinth before toppling it into the harbour head first
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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