An ecclesiastical court rejected on Wednesday March 23 the request of one of the colleges of the English University of Cambridge to remove a marble plaque paying tribute to a donor linked to the slave trade.
Read alsoGreat Britain: an ecclesiastical court considers the removal of a plaque linked to slavery
Jesus College wanted to remove the plaque fixed to a wall of its chapel, paying homage to Tobias Rustat, financially involved in the slave trade in the 17th century and who was one of the most important donors of this faculty.
He wanted to move this plate, on which appears a portrait of Rustat, to exhibit it in another building, with elements of context, arguing that certain students, upset by this plate, do not want to enter the chapel.
As the plaque is in a religious building, it was up to a judge appointed by the Church of England to decide, after several days of hearings held in February.
“Deeply disappointed and shocked”
Removal of the plaque “
would cause significant, or noticeable, damage to the scope of the chapel as a building of special architectural or historical interest
,” judge David Hodge said.
He also felt that the opposition to the plaque was based on "
false arguments that Rustat had made a large part of his fortune from the slave trade
" and that he had used this source of wealth to finance the faculty.
However, underlined the judge, Tobias Rustat made his investments in the Royal African Company only in 1691, “
about twenty years after his donations to the college
”.
However, he did not rule out that the plaque could be accompanied by explanatory elements so that Rustat could be seen “
in the context of his time
”.
In a statement, Jesus College said it was "
deeply disappointed and shocked
" by the decision.
"
Rustat's involvement in the slave trade has never been questioned and widespread opposition to the presence of his memorial is a result of that involvement
," he added, saying he would examine “
Carefully the next steps
”.
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Tobias Rustat had given approximately 3230 pounds sterling (about 500,000 pounds sterling at the current rate or 600,000 euros) to Jesus College, mainly to finance scholarships for orphans.
The case illustrates the UK's recent soul-searching into its colonial past, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement which has seen increased calls to remove statues and monuments of historical figures linked to slavery and racism.
