British Museum must express clear and unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people, says joint letter

In London, over 200 cultural figures have called on the British Museum to show support for Palestinians amid concerns about the potential removal of references to Palestine from some museum galleries.

The open letter, coordinated by the campaign group Culture Unstained, was signed by notable figures including actors Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson, musician Brian Eno, and architects Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth. Support also came from Jewish Artists for Palestine, Archaeologists Against Apartheid, and Artists & Culture Workers London.

The letter states: “Genocide extends to the cultural and historical erasure of a people.” It followed reports that the museum had amended two panels and was reviewing its use of Palestine as a historical term across other galleries, though the museum has denied removing the word in response to pressure from the pro-Israeli lawyers group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

Signatories accused the museum of complicity in actions against Palestinians in Gaza, including hosting a private event for the Israeli Embassy last year and maintaining a partnership with BP, an oil company linked to the conflict.

The letter urged the museum to:

Condemn UKLFI’s campaign promoting the erasure of Palestine as a term, place, people, and historical reality.
Express clear solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Publicly acknowledge the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s conclusion that Israel committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza and pledge to act accordingly.
Recognize and apologize for the harm caused by hosting the Israeli Embassy event.

The campaign emphasizes that cultural institutions have a responsibility to protect historical truth and stand against the erasure of marginalized communities.