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Emily Dawes last week said she would “paint over” the Rotherstein Mural, a memorial to members of British universities who fought and died for their country during World War One. Her tweet sparked a furious backlash on social media and a petition demanding her resignation as President of the Southampton Student Union (SUSU) has since gathered nearly 21,000 signatures. And earlier this week, a sign reading “it’s okay to be white” appeared in the university’s Hartley Library, prompting speculation the message was linked to Ms Dawes’ tweet. The crumpled A4-sized sign, printed in block capitals, was initially found on the floor of the library foyer, the Southampton Tab reports.

But the group who discovered the message stuck it back up on a wall to capture it on film before leaving it there because they “didn't fundamentally disagree with it”, according to the student newspaper. One of the students, who asked not to be named, said: “Emily Dawes was fundamentally incorrect in what she said, the issue with murals that celebrate white men is not that they are white men, it's that the artist chose not to represent other demographics in most instances. "Mostly I just wanted it to be recognised that someone thinks this is worth raising so I'm not going to tear it down as that's ignoring the issue." Emily Dawes made the headlines last week after her inflammatory message prompted national outrage.

Emily Dawes sparked fury after she vowed to 'paint over' the WW1 Rotherstein Mural

The sign was found on the floor but stuck back on the wall by a group of students

Emily Dawes branded the university's WW1 memorial was a 'mural of white men'

The SUSU head tweeted: “Mark my words – we’re taking down the mural of white men in the uni Senate room, even if I have to paint over it myself.” The mural, painted by Sir William Rothenstein in 1916, depicts members of British universities who served in World War One receiving degrees. The room housing the painting was reportedly locked by university staff in the wake of the controversy. Ms Dawes - who has previously campaigned for gender-neutral toilets across the campus - has since issued an apology for her inflammatory tweets and insisted she never meant any disrespect.

The SUSU president provoked a furious backlash with two tweets on October 24

The mural was painted as a memorial to those from British universities who served in WW1