More than 200 cultural figures on Tuesday called on the British Museum to show support for Palestinians, after the potential removal of references to Palestine from several museum galleries.
In an open letter to the trustees of the British Museum, over 200 figures from across the cultural field said: "Genocide extends to the cultural and historical erasure of a people."
The letter, coordinated by the campaign group Culture Unstained, has been signed by actors Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson, musician Brian Eno and architects Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth, with Jewish Artists for Palestine, Archaeologists Against Apartheid and Artists and Culture Workers London adding their support.
It came after the British Museum sought to push back on reports that it had removed the word Palestine from some of its labeling following a letter from U.K. Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), although it has admitted to "amending" two panels and reviewing its use of Palestine as a historical term across other galleries.
Last month, the British Museum rejected a claim that it removed the word "Palestine" from its displays in response to pressure from a pro-Israeli lawyers group, adding it continues to use Palestine across a series of galleries.
The letter accused the museum of complicity against Palestinians in Gaza, citing, "Hosting the Israeli Embassy for a private party last year to defending its partnership with BP, an oil company directly profiting from that violent oppression."
The signatories said that the UKLFI, a pro-Israeli lawyers group, has "clearly used" the museum's recent re-labelling of two exhibits from historic Palestine "to launch a cynical campaign" aimed at promoting a broader erasure of Palestine as a term, a place, a people and a historical reality.
The letter underlined that the British Museum must call out and condemn the UKLFI for Israel’s actions and express clear and unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people.
It also urged the museum to publicly recognize the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s conclusion that Israel has committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza and to pledge to act accordingly.
The signatories also asked the museum to issue a statement recognizing and apologizing for the serious harm caused by hosting a private event for the Israeli Embassy last year.
