The President Of Southampton Students’ Union has apologised after she vowed to “paint over” a historical mural depicting unknown soldiers from the First World War receiving degrees.

A tweet from the account of Emily Dawes said she would “take down” the image, and although she was not explicit about her reasoning, she described it as a “mural of white men”.

The Rothenstein Mural dates from 1916 and is a memorial members of British universities who served in the First World War.

It depicts a procession of “unknown soldiers” receiving the degrees they did not have the chance to obtain due to the conflict.

Dawes’ tweet has received more than 1,000 replies – with most asking if she is actually aware of what the mural depicts.

A petition calling on Ms Dawes to stand down from her position as head of the university’s students’ union has so far reached more than 1,000 signatories.

Its creator Daniel Lake posted: “Dawes’ comments, fuelled by the simple fact that the men in the mural are white, are unacceptable and offensive to the vast majority of students who choose to support remembrance.

“Therefore, this is an unacceptable abuse of an elected position to further her own political agenda, and, as admitted by the Student Union, is not in line with their ‘mission or values’.”

A spokesperson for the University of Southampton said in a statement: “The comments made by the Students’ Union President regarding the Rothenstein Mural are not shared by the University of Southampton and do not represent the views of the University community.

“We are very proud to display the Mural, painted in 1916, which serves as a memorial to all members of British universities who served in the Great War (World War I).”