Cecil Rhodes statue: Explanatory plaque placed at Oxford college

The explanatory board has been placed outside Oriel College

An explanatory plaque "contextualising" the statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes has been placed at an Oxford University college.

There have been calls to remove the statue at Oriel College but the college previously said "regulatory and financial challenges" prevented it.

The plaque states the building was paid for by the colonialist but that his activities "caused great loss of life".

Campaigners said the sign "trivialises the pain and suffering Rhodes caused".

Protesters gathered in Oxford's High Street outside Oriel College in June 2020

Rhodes, a 19th Century businessman and politician in southern Africa, had been a student at Oriel and left the college £100,000 - about £12.5m in today's money.

Oriel's governing body said in June last year it wished to remove the statue, a decision it said was "backed" by the independent commission appointed to examine its future and Rhodes' legacy.

It later said it would not seek to move the statue due to costs and "complex" planning processes.

The plaque directs readers to the college's website and an article entitled "Contextualisation of the Rhodes Legacy".

Under the government's new "retain and explain" policy which aims to protect controversial monuments, planning permission is required before a statue can be removed from its position.

Oxford city councillor Shaista Aziz said the language used was "very ambiguous".

"At the very least what should be stated was how much wealth Cecil Rhodes made from his so-called endeavours across Africa, the human impact and the legacy that has on our high street.

"This is not about a statue, this is about the denial of history and representation of people of colour in our city and beyond."

The Cecil Rhodes statue stands on the building named after him at Oriel College

The Rhodes Must Fall campaign, which claims Rhodes represented white supremacy and was steeped in colonialism and racism, posted on social media: "This sign trivialises the pain and suffering Rhodes caused.

"It also downplays our demands. Oriel College CAN remove this statue, they choose not to!"

The university said the sign was temporary and part of its efforts to "contextualise its relationship with Rhodes".

"The text isn't intended to give a comprehensive account of Rhodes and his actions during his lifetime, as that would be impossible to achieve on a single sign.

"It is intended to acknowledge the controversy surrounding the statue and to provide a link to other resources where people can find out more for themselves," it said.