‘Disgusted and betrayed’: British Museum ignores mounting staff anger over Israel event
The platform at the Israel Independent Day event in the British Museum, 13 May 2025
Katherine Hearst reports in Middle East Eye on 18 June 2025:
The British Museum has ignored repeated calls by staff for a public apology following an event marking the anniversary of Israel’s 77th Independence Day on 13 May.
The private gathering was organised by the Israeli embassy, with speakers including the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, and the UK minister for defence procurement and industry, Maria Eagle. Reportedly, comedian Jimmy Carr, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, also attended.
Images of the event circulated online showed the museum’s great court bathed in blue light and festooned with Israeli flags.
But the museum’s staff were kept in the dark about the event – they were simply informed of a “large corporate function” and instructed to leave early on the day “with minimal notice”.
They reported that since the day, management has failed to apologise and properly respond to multiple letters by staff, one garnering 250 signatures, to demand the museum issues an “immediate explanation and public apology,” and sever ties with Israeli institutions.
Sara, the author of one of the petitions who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, told Middle East Eye there was an “overwhelmingly widespread feeling of disgust and betrayal,” among workers across all sectors of the museum.
Sara said she had found out about the event days before it went ahead from a colleague. “I think the museum had deliberately limited news about this as much as possible internally, because they knew what they were doing was indefensible, and they knew there would be a massive staff backlash,” Sara told Middle East Eye.
According to one of the letters seen by MEE, staff said they were only alerted about the event when they were told to leave work early and found “a street lined with police cars”.
Lina, another staff member, described the event as “really disturbing,” reporting that “a lot of members of staff, especially Muslim members, felt really unsafe” in the aftermath. She said that hospitality staff, who were working at the event, were “really scared” and reluctant to participate in the petition for fear of losing their jobs, adding that agency staff brought into work the event were not informed about its nature by the museum.
‘Non-responses’
Staff members who spoke to MEE said they had received “absolute non-responses” to the letters.