The UK branch of Black Lives Matter has suffered a significant defeat after it was revealed that a statue of Cecil Rhodes will remain at Oxford’s Oriel College.

Following the transatlantic riots and protests after the death of George Floyd last summer, campaigners had hoped that the “controversial” monument would be permanently removed.

Despite the College itself expressing a desire to remove the statue, in addition to a ruling by an independent commission which came to the same conclusion, Rhodes is safe for the time being because of the costs associated with expelling him from the Grade II listed High Street building.

“The governing body has carefully considered the regulatory and financial challenges, including the expected time frame for removal, which could run into years with no certainty of outcome, together with the total cost of removal,” said a statement by the College.

“In light of the considerable obstacles to removal, Oriel’s governing body has decided not to begin the legal process for relocation of the memorials. Instead, it is determined to focus its time and resources on delivering the report’s recommendations around the contextualisation of the College’s relationship with Rhodes, as well as improving educational equality, diversity and inclusion amongst its student cohort and academic community.”

College bosses were reportedly also wary of setting a precedent which could have seen numerous other historical statues and memorials removed throughout the world.

According to leftists, Rhodes is the “Hitler of southern Africa” due to his role in British imperialism, “stealing” land and setting up proto-apartheid policies in the 19th century.

A 2016 poll found that 59 per cent of Brits wanted the statue to stay and this led to the College asserting they wouldn’t remove it, a decision that attracted “overwhelming support.”

However, with woke jihadists now emboldened in their demented iconoclasm due to weaker and weaker opposition, the statue’s long term future is far from certain.

According to the Telegraph, while the ruling is a victory for free speech, it is likely to “spark a backlash from campaigners.”

Despite the statue sitting near the top of the 4 story building, don’t put it beyond far-left extremists to try to physically remove it themselves.