Badenoch criticises British Museum for delaying Jewish event over protest fears

Helen Corbett, Press Association Political Correspondent

Kemi Badenoch has criticised the British Museum for postponing a talk on Jewish culture because of potential protests.

The museum said it had postponed the event after being told a “significant proportion” of attendees were planning to disrupt it.

The lecture on ancient Israel and Judah was due to take place on Thursday afternoon as part of Jewish Culture Month.

The British Museum said in a statement: “In recent days, we were informed that a significant proportion of registered attendees were individuals intending to deliberately disrupt the event, preventing others from participating in good faith and undermining the purpose of the programme.

“The British Museum fully recognises the importance of lawful protest and freedom of expression in a democratic society.

“Equally, we have a responsibility to ensure that events hosted within the museum can proceed safely, securely and without intimidation for speakers, staff and visitors alike.

“Following discussions with organisers and security partners, a joint decision was taken to postpone the event to a later date when it can take place in an environment that properly safeguards both the audience experience and the integrity of the programme itself.”

The decision was taken “to protect the event — not to diminish it”, the museum added.

Conservative Party leader Mrs Badenoch urged Sir Keir Starmer’s Government to intervene and tell the museum to “do what’s necessary” for the event to go ahead.

She said: “Jewish Culture Month is meant to promote awareness of and celebrate Jewish culture in the UK. This decision achieves precisely the opposite.

“Jewish acts and actors are now being routinely cancelled from events across the UK. As with the marches and protests going past synagogues and knocking on doors intimidating Jews, the end result is an erasure of Jews and Jewish culture from Britain’s public space.

“The Government says it wants to combat antisemitism, it needs to tell publicly funded institutions like the British Museum to do what’s necessary to put this event on. The Conservatives will always make sure that Britain feels a safe place for Jews.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it would seek to reschedule the event as soon as possible.

The board said in a statement on X: “It is highly regrettable that individuals have sought to deliberately disrupt a Jewish Culture Month event celebrating Jewish cultural heritage at the British Museum.

“Jewish Culture Month has seen many of Britain’s great cultural institutions partner with us in celebration of British Jewish culture, community and creativity, and we will not allow the actions of extremists to prevent the British public from enjoying these events.

“We will be working with our partners at the British Museum to reschedule this event as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said: “Jewish Culture Month is supposed to be celebration of British Jewish culture, community and creativity, and has been supported by some of Britain’s great cultural institutions, including the British Museum.

“Yet the museum has now been forced to postpone an event celebrating Jewish cultural heritage due to concerns that the event would be disrupted by protesters.

“Extremists and agitators who cannot see past their hatred should not be allowed to force British Jews to live smaller lives in this country, nor prevent us from sharing our culture and heritage with the wider British public.

“We fully support the efforts by the British Museum and Board of Deputies to ensure this important event can be rearranged.”