Reports state that Oxford Union president, Arwa Elrayess, allowed one of her senior committee members to link the controversial figure with the former president of South Africa.

Miss Elrayess is facing calls to resign and is being met with condemnation from her own committee over the invitations of Carl Benjamin, Tommy Robinson, Karim Khan, and Laurence Fox.

In a letter calling for resignation, Shermar Pryce, former chief adviser, said: “I am appalled by the absolutely idiotic and frankly insane comparison made between Tommy Robinson and Nelson Mandela by the director of finance: to, in any way, equate a violent, race-baiting criminal thug with an icon of liberation is a grotesque insult to history and a testament to the moral rot within the senior committee.

“I am beyond convinced that the current form of the TermCard is the direct result of such people being enabled and empowered.”

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Nelson Mandela (Image: Mark Draisey)

Miss Elrayess has previously defended her choice to invite the controversial figure in an article published in The Telegraph

She said: “For more than 200 years, the Oxford Union has existed to host debates – not to platform views uncritically, but to subject them to the most rigorous scrutiny. You do not invite a speaker to endorse them: you invite them so that their ideas can be examined, and their claims tested.

“Today, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act – passed under the last Conservative Government – exists precisely because we have recognised, as a nation, that the strategy of silence was not merely failing, but becoming a crisis.

“Universities are where ideas are meant to be tested, not protected from scrutiny.”

In late 2025, Robinson’s followers used the anti-apartheid anthem ‘Something Inside So Strong’ at a UK rally, the song’s writer, Labi Siffre, issued a cease-and-desist letter.

Bicester Play & Activity Day will take place at Spider Park on Keble Road from 11am to 3pm on Wednesday, July 29.

It is suitable for children and young people of all ages.

Activities will include Go Kart Party, Body Zorbing, Giant Bubbles, Ride on Time Toddler Vehicles, and Junk Modelling with Art Avalanche, alongside Bright Sparks Science.

Entry and all activities are free.

Attendees are welcome to bring a picnic, but no childcare will be provided.

Councillor David Edwards-Hughes said numerous people have contacted him about The Leys Splash Park in Witney being opened earlier.

It is open daily from noon to 6pm.

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The Conservative politician said: “The facility is a brilliant asset to Witney, made possible because councillors a decade ago had the foresight to set aside dedicated funding year-on-year for these major upgrades.

“However, I have been contacted by numerous residents—particularly parents of toddlers and very young children—who want to see the splash park open earlier.

Splash Park in The Leys (Image: Witney Town Council)

“They want to enjoy the water before the midday heat becomes too intense for little ones.

“As a toddler dad myself, I completely understand and share those concerns.”

This comes as Oxfordshire experiences record temperatures with 32.9°C recorded at nearby Brize Norton on Monday, May 25.

Considering this, a spokesperson for Witney Town Council – which runs the facility – did not rule out extending the hours.

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They said: “Last year the town council made adjustments as the season went on based on water usage and demand and this kind of flexibility is likely to be the case again this year, subject to council approval.”

Mr Edwards-Hughes added: “We have this incredible, modern facility, and we need to ensure it works for everyone in our community.

“I have asked council officers to look into what can be done to expand the hours so that the splash park is safer, more accessible, and more convenient for a wider range of ages.”