Young Tories burn effigy of Obama
November 24 2011 at 12:09pm
By ALAN RODEN AND VICTORIA ALLEN
The Tories have been forced to apologise after students at Britainâs St Andrews University burnt an effigy of US President Barack Obama at a Conservative Association Party.
Students from the US - who account for almost a third of the undergraduate population in the Fife town - claimed the incident was anti-American and, at worst, racist.
Washington sources also branded the stunt an âact of violenceâ, raising fears that it could harm relations between Obama's Democrats and David Cameron's Conservatives.
University chiefs summoned the president of the society to discuss âvery understandable concernsâ. However they later said the culprits were ânaive and crassly insensitive, not intentionally racistâ.
The young Tories have now decided to end the tradition of burning effigies and will write a letter to President Obama to apologise.
In an online statement, he added: âEach year the association votes for a candidate who has contributed the most to left-wing politics to burn at our annual heretic burning.
âThis is an annual tradition which dates back numerous years, with previous heretics including Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond.â
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: âThis was undoubtedly a stupid act and the St Andrews Conservative Association has recognised that.â
But a Democratic Party analyst in Washington said: âBurning someone in effigy is an act of violence, and such acts rarely solve anything.â
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/young-tories-burn-effigy-of-obama-1.1185728
November 24 2011 at 12:09pm
By ALAN RODEN AND VICTORIA ALLEN
The Tories have been forced to apologise after students at Britainâs St Andrews University burnt an effigy of US President Barack Obama at a Conservative Association Party.
Students from the US - who account for almost a third of the undergraduate population in the Fife town - claimed the incident was anti-American and, at worst, racist.
Washington sources also branded the stunt an âact of violenceâ, raising fears that it could harm relations between Obama's Democrats and David Cameron's Conservatives.
University chiefs summoned the president of the society to discuss âvery understandable concernsâ. However they later said the culprits were ânaive and crassly insensitive, not intentionally racistâ.
The young Tories have now decided to end the tradition of burning effigies and will write a letter to President Obama to apologise.
In an online statement, he added: âEach year the association votes for a candidate who has contributed the most to left-wing politics to burn at our annual heretic burning.
âThis is an annual tradition which dates back numerous years, with previous heretics including Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond.â
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: âThis was undoubtedly a stupid act and the St Andrews Conservative Association has recognised that.â
But a Democratic Party analyst in Washington said: âBurning someone in effigy is an act of violence, and such acts rarely solve anything.â
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/young-tories-burn-effigy-of-obama-1.1185728
