Mr. Wilkie responded immediately to my email, and enclosed the following apology and statement my Oxford:

Statement by Oxford:

Our staff may hold strongly felt personal opinions. Freedom of expression is a fundamental tenet of University life, but under no circumstances are we prepared to accept or condone conduct that appears to, or does, discriminate against anyone on grounds of ethnicity or nationality, whether directly or indirectly. This candidate is entitled to submit an application and to have it dealt with fairly according to our normal criteria.

Professor Wilkie has issued a personal apology regarding remarks he made by e mail to an applicant for a research degree at Oxford. An immediate and thorough investigation of this matter is now being carried out in accordance with the University’s procedures and a report will be presented to the Vice-Chancellor next week.

Mr. Wilkie's Apology:

I recognise and apologise for any distress caused by my e mail of 23 June and the wholly inappropriate expression of my personal opinions in that document. I was not speaking on behalf of Oxford University or any of its constituent parts. I entirely accept the University of Oxford’s Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies.

I replied that since I was only insulted by implication, I could only offer forgiveness by implication, and that while I respect the privacy of his correspondence, he might want to mention something to Mr. Duvshani himself.

Aside from that, this seems a great deal like someone and something trying to avoid a lawsuit. While you probably can't expect much more from Oxford - after all, we still have no idea how qualified Mr. Duvshani is for the job - the barrister has got his hand so far up Mr. Wilkie's rear end that you can see his fingernails sticking out from behind Mr. Wilkie's teeth.