A plaque that commemorates the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes could be given listed status.

The Oriel College plaque sits near the controversial statue that has seen many calls by students, academics and activists to be taken down.

In June 2020, an independent commission was set up to investigate the future of the statue after Oxford University’s Oriel College voted in favour of removing its statue.

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The commission was asked to look into the removal of Rhodes’ statue after the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was torn down in Bristol during the Black Lives Matter Protest.

The Oxford University college has said it has been notified by the Department of Culture Media and Sport that the Cecil Rhodes plaque could be listed.

In a statement Oriel College said: "The College has been notified by the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) that, following a review of a previous decision, they are 'minded to' list the Cecil Rhodes plaque on King Edward Street.

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"Oriel's Governing Body made a series of decisions last year upon the publication of the Rhodes Commission's report and remains committed to the actions announced at that time.

"We are proud of the progress that we have made on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives so far and look forward to continuing this important work in the future."

Read more from this author

This story was written by Rebecca Whittaker, she joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Rebecca covers education and news in Abingdon and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Rebecca.Whittaker@newquest.co.uk or calling 07824524333

Follow her on Twitter @RebecWhitt

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