A protester sparked fury yesterday by deliberately swimming into the paths of the crews in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

Environmental campaigner Trenton Oldfield was hauled from the water and arrested on public order offences after his actions halted the prestigious event for half an hour.

Last night, the president of the Oxford University Boat Club angrily told Oldfield via Twitter: ‘My team went through seven months of hell. This was the culmination of our careers and you took it from us.’

The university crews were almost neck-and-neck when they were forced to stop after the blades of the Oxford team’s oars narrowly missed Oldfield. A police officer said later: ‘They nearly took his head off.’

Boot him back to Australia, revoke his visa, his degree (if he't a student) and ban him from the UK permanently, and sell anything he owns, to pay back some of the costs of hosting this event..... Bloody idiot, protesting for what?

- Damian, Elsewhere, 8/4/2012 2:38 940

'This was the culmination of our careers and you took it from us.'????? um... it's a boat race. I'm sure you'll be fine - ticker, london, 8/4/2012 6:22 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ have you stopped to think that this race is as important to them as maybe your ferrets and watching East Enders is to you and your sort ?

- someone, South, 8/4/2012 7:50 842

What angers me is the jealous remarks over the people who sat in the boats and have put in a lot of HARD WORK not only to get to Oxford or Cambridge, but into the boats. Thousands of people "row" each week -it is not an elitist sport so why think so. I am so sadden by the way this country is becoming - jealousy abounds, socialism abounds... thank you the Policial correct police you have ruined not only the UK but people's lives and attitudes.

- heather, twisty spine, 8/4/2012 10:55 677

This protest symbolizes the 'March of the Morons' against excellence in all things. It's purely political, it's fundamentally about race and it's twin - 'equality', and is part of a movement to debase this country, it's values and traditions. It's a movement that been growing in fervour steadily in this country for a few years now. This nonsense needs to be actively stamped out before it leads to the ruin of Britain.

- Cynic, Dyed in the wool, 8/4/2012 9:28 388

Once he has completed his prison sentence send him back to Australia. He doesn't need to remain in a system that he hates so much.

- Andy, Singapore, 8/4/2012 3:20 191

Send this idiot back to boring Australia. WE DONT WANT YOU HERE!!!

- Richard, London, 8/4/2012 2:05 188

Of course the boat race is elitist...Oxbridge is the pinnacle of educational success in this country, or hadn't you realised this, all those of you moaning about elitism and snobbery? Both universities attract the best students from around the world, in addition to students from the UK. By the time crew members get picked for the race itself, they've normally worked all through university to get there, as well as beforehand, in pursuit of excellence in their sport. I'm not at all right-wing politically - on the contrary, pretty far to the left where most things are concerned. I hadn't the confidence to apply to Oxford or Cambridge and doubt I'd have made it through the interview stage in those days, but every ambitious pupil in my (small village) secondary school knew if you worked hard enough and shone brightly enough there was a chance. Sure enough, a friend's brother was a Cambridge Blue. Don't sneer at those who excel - try harder yourself and make your own success.

- Toodlepippers, Back end of nowhere, 8/4/2012 10:12 175

really fed up with prats like this - take your middle class ideology somewhere else -prat!

- Ken, Suffolk, 8/4/2012 7:17 145

No doubt a left-wing idiot

- wallace, the moon, 8/4/2012 5:35 133

In further reaction, television presenter Richard Madeley tweeted: ‘God, the monumental ego and selfishness of the swimmer who screwed the Boat Race. Imagine sharing living space with someone like that.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1rSfGzHeL

Rubbish, the system favours the privileged in terms of places at those institutions.

He was a prize prat , though.

Inconveniencing some aristos is no crime. They don't own the river, even if they behave like they do.

Any ordinary member of the public who set out to have a rowing race would get a very different reception. They'd just be left to get on with it and if they had to stop for swimmers the police would tell them to fuck off, deal with it and stop wasting their time if they objected.

There is nothing special about them and all of the forelock tugging in the media is grotesque. Fuck them. The rowing boats are just the vehicle (no pun intended) for a festival of self-congratulatory Masters of the Universe back-slapping, as well as a self-aggrandising group wank. Prole-feed, in the way that Royal Weddings and chinless wonders pogoing to the national anthem at the Last Night of the Proms are. The worst of Britain.

You mean like taking Prince Charles with 2 A-levels, a B and a C? Would they take a binman's son with those grades?

chinless wonders pogoing to the national anthem at the Last Night of the Proms are.