The Cambridge Union at Cambridge University made one art historian persona non grata at the debate group’s gatherings after he offended guests by briefly impersonating Adolf Hitler.
Andrew Graham-Dixon, a speaker and author of books on art history, has since apologized for the offense. He also said it was not his intention to offend the audience at the British university but to persuade them.
“I apologize sincerely to anyone who found my debating tactics and use of Hitler’s own language distressing,” Graham-Dixon said in a statement to Insider. “On reflection, I can see that some of the words I used, even in quotation, are inherently offensive.”
UNIVERSITIES MUST DO MORE TO ADDRESS CENSORSHIP BY STUDENTS AND STAFF ON CAMPUS
The speech in question mentioned a Hitler art exhibition, “Degenerate Art,” which was used as propaganda for his political views against homosexuality, Jews, and black people. During his speech, Graham-Dixon used racial slurs that offended the audience, according to the Daily Mail.
Graham-Dixon’s statements in his impersonation of Hitler included: “This modern, horrible art that was promoted by the Jews … and the modern art, it was cubist — inspired by the art of the negros,” and “This tribal art, urgh, how horrible is that? We must expunge this from our Deutschland.”
At another point, he added to the pseudo-Hitler speech, “We are the pure, Aryan people. Our genetics is pure. Our hearts must be pure. Our tastes must be pure.”
Graham-Dixon told the outlet he was trying to “underline the utterly evil nature of Hitler” and was using Hitler’s words to demonstrate his point, which was that “bad taste and bad morality often go hand-in-hand.”
In the past, the union promoted free speech through debates, even if the debate included topics and vocabulary that some found offensive. The debate on Thursday was intended to discuss whether there was “no such thing as good taste.”
The group’s president, Keir Bradwell, wrote a letter to the audience to apologize for not stopping Graham-Dixon’s impersonation. He added that, as president, it was his duty to balance the welfare of his members and the freedom of speech of the speakers.
Bradwell, who apologized after the debate, admitted he was “quite drunk,” according to the BBC. He said he had two glasses of wine beforehand but was “not impeded in my ability to chair the debate.”
“I would like to offer my unreserved apology for the comments made by a speaker in our debate on Thursday night,” Bradwell said in his statement. “Neither I nor the society condones the thoughtless and grotesque language used by the individual in question, and I am sorry for my failure to intervene at the time. The speaker in question employed a crass and deeply insensitive impression of Hitler to make the point in opposition that there is such a thing as bad taste. […] It was inexcusable, and I regret not intervening.”
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Bradwell did not reveal how many complaints he received as a result of the event but said it was the most he had received since becoming its president, according to the BBC.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Graham-Dixon, instead of Bradwell, acknowledged consuming wine during the event.
