Obama Effigy Burned By Conservative UK Students

'Burning an effigy of anyone is offensive, let alone the first black President of the United States. The overtones are deeply unpleasant,' lawmaker says

msnbc.com

An effigy of Barack Obama was burned by members of a Conservative party college student association in Scotland, according to reports Wednesday.

BBC News reported that the incident took place on a beach in St. Andrews on Friday evening.

Matthew Marshall, president of the St. Andrews Conservative Association, told the station that he was sorry that the incident had happened. It is unclear exactly who was responsible.

"President Obama is an important ally to the British government. It was a stupid thing to do and we apologize for any offence caused," he told the BBC.

James Mills, former chairman of the university's Labour party student society, told the station that the burning was "disgraceful."

Mills' effigy has been burned in the past along with those of former South African President Nelson Mandela and former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"I can't imagine any other student activists of a major political party would behave in this manner," Mills told the BBC.

It these students had some understanding of the history of the United States they would know that effigy and cross burning's were used by those  in the Southern United States to intimidate the black citizens living there during what is known as the Jim Crow era. When laws where passed by those same Southern States to insure all rights remained with its white citizens.