Media furore over Obama effigy burning

St Andrews found itself in the midst of a media storm last month after it was revealed that the University’s Conservative Society had organised the burning of an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama on East Sands Beach.

Continuing a tradition of effigy burning that has previously seen likenesses of Gordon Brown and Nelson Mandela set alight, the incident took place on the evening of Friday, 18 November.

The story exploded across the international media, with Sky News, the BBC and the American broadcaster MSNBC just a few of the many outlets that reported on the story. It was even discussed in the House of Commons, with top Conservative politician Sir George Young condemning the action, adding that he “would hope there is no repetition of that incident in any organisation associated with my party.”

President of the Conservative Society, Matthew Marshall was quick to apologise for the incident, issuing a public statement after a meeting with senior University staff and Student’s Association Director of Representation Sam Fowles on Wednesday, 23 November. In the statement Marshall described the effigy burning as “undoubtedly a stupid act.”

“It is deeply regretted by all of us in the St Andrews Conservative Association,” continued Marshall. “I will make sure this never happens again. I apologise further for any damage this has done to the reputation of the University of St Andrews, or the Scottish Conservative Party.”

The society also announced its intention to write a private and personal apology to President Obama himself.

After meeting with Marshall the University has decided not to pursue further disciplinary action against the group, stating that though the act was “naïve and crassly insensitive,” it was “not intentionally racist.”

St Andrews’ Student Association criticised the action, voting 13 to 2 on Tuesday, 22 November to condemn the act of burning effigies. However, Student Association President Patrick O’Hare, who has previously been involved with organising the burning of an effigy of UK Prime Minister David Cameron, prior to taking up his position as President, abstained from the vote, and expressed “mixed feelings about the issue”.

“With hindsight, it is clear that the burning of effigies is immature and not the best image to be projecting of St Andrews students, especially given the racial sensitivities involved in the last case,” O’Hare told The Saint. “I think the SRC was right to send out the message that it did, but at the time of the SRC meeting I did not want to be hypocritical by personally slamming a society from one end of the political spectrum.”

The University responded to the press furore over the effigy burning.

In a statement to The Saint, a University spokesman said, ““It is an enormous privilege to become a student at St Andrews, but the price of that privilege is perhaps a loss of the privacy or anonymity one might find at other universities. In St Andrews, the world is watching and media interest is ever present.”

The “tradition” of effigy burning is something that has gone on for six decades. It is not (or was not) exclusive to the Tories. There is evidence that other political societies have burned figures in effigy. It has also been an unreported part of student politics at other universities for many, many years.”

The Conservative Society intends to personally write to President Obama to apologise for their actions