British Museum did not remove Palestine from labels due to pressure campaign, museum sources say-as backlash continues

"The petition, whose signatories include the musician Brian Eno, the writer Laleh Khalili, and the former Central Saint Martins head Jeremy Till, calls the removal 'an act of historical revision and potential erasure'. The letter further links the current dispute to the 'museum's complicity in Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, from hosting the Israeli Embassy for a private party last year to defending its partnership with BP.'"

"The British Museum rebuffed the assertion, telling The Art Newspaper in a statement on 3 March: 'It has been reported that the British Museum has removed the term Palestine from displays. It is simply not true. We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.'"

"The Art Newspaper has looked into the complaint and corroborated the British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan's alleged assertion that changes to the labels were made prior to the letter that the UKLFI sent to the British Museum in early February."

More than 200 cultural figures, including musician Brian Eno and writer Laleh Khalili, signed an open letter criticizing the British Museum for allegedly removing the word 'Palestine' from its display labels following pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI). The signatories characterize this removal as historical revision and potential erasure. The letter also connects the dispute to broader concerns about the museum's relationship with Israel, citing its hosting of an Israeli Embassy private event and its partnership with BP, which allegedly supplies fuel to the Israeli military. The British Museum denied the allegations, stating it continues to use 'Palestine' across multiple galleries. Investigation revealed that label changes preceded the UKLFI's February letter to the museum.

Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events