On the evening of Tuesday 13 May, members from anti-imperialist climate crisis organisation Energy Embargo for Palestine (EEFP) staged a demonstration outside the British Museum. Notably, they were there to call out the museum for hosting an event for Israel Independence Day.
British Museum hosts secretive ‘Israeli Independence Day’ event
The event marked the eve of ‘Israeli Independence Day’. This is an Israeli public holiday which celebrates the establishment of the state of Israel, founded on the mass displacement and forcible expulsion of Palestinians from their lands. Palestinians remember this as the Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe), which marks over 77 years of ethnic cleansing of their people.
The British Museum did not make details of the Israeli event publicly available ahead of time to Museum staff, members of the Museum, nor to general visitors. EEFP’s understanding based on insider sources, however, was that the event was organised by Israeli dignitaries. The Museum has thus far ignored activists’ and journalists’ numerous requests for comment around the event.
More details emerged on Wednesday, a day after the event took place. The Israeli embassy organised the event. It celebrated the 77th anniversary of David Ben Gurion signing the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Speakers at the event included Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely and the UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle. Eagle is one of the key ministers with oversight over the UK’s industrial production of arms.
Attendees also included leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage, deputy leader Richard Tice, news presenters from GB News, and comedian Jimmy Carr.
On demonstrating outside of the British Museum, Mara Adam from EEFP said:
It is not lost on us that this Israeli celebration event is taking place on the evening of 13th May, coinciding with Nakba week when Palestinians were expelled from their lands by Israel. It is unconscionable for a British public institution like the British Museum to host an event in celebration of Israel – a state currently perpetrating war crimes and genocide in Gaza. We demand that the British Museum discloses full transparency on its links with Israel and that they end their partnership with BP, a company fuelling genocide in Palestine.
Maria Eagle’s acceptance of an invitation and speech at an Israeli embassy event reflects a horrifying link between a UK Government Minister responsible for exporting arms to a state committing genocide. It is not lost on us that Maria Eagle’s speech in the British Museum comes on the same day the UK Government was brought to court by GLAN and Al-Haq for its export of F-35 jet parts to Israel.
Cultural institutions: calls to cut ties with Israeli genocide
Protesters held banners reading “British Museum, cut ties with Israeli genocide” in front of the British Museum. Others declared “War criminals out of public institutions”:
Demonstrators demanded full transparency from the British Museum on the nature of the event. They urged for details on who attended, and why Museum staff were not consulted or made aware beforehand.
Palestinian Youth Movement, Workers For a Free Palestine, Sisters Uncut, Queers For Palestine, and Artists and Culture Workers London supported the demonstration.
Cops come out to collaborate with the British Museum and Israeli embassy
Because of the protest, attendees of the event entered the Museum through its back entrance.
Pro-Palestine protesters were met with a Zionist counter-protest. This was organised by Stop the Hate and Our Fight UK, who collaborated with the Israeli embassy in the UK and the Metropolitan Police ahead of time to ensure a significant police presence:
Scores of police officers surrounded the perimeter of the British Museum and its surrounding areas. Cops barricaded pro-Palestine protesters with fences:
They violently snatched at least one member of the crowd and intimidated participants. When protesters attempted to leave, police forced them to put down their flags and banners as a condition of release. Cops threatened arrest if people put their flags back up, following protesters as they went home.
On the heavy police repression, Louise Lamb from EEFP said:
Tonight’s level of repression has exceeded what we have previously experienced in our past protests outside the British Museum, revealing the deep relationship between the Museum and Israeli officials if police were called to ensure the genocidal gala continues. We are outraged that the British state will go to such lengths to suppress our voices while continuing to aid and abet Israel’s criminal actions against Palestinians.
End fossil fuel, arms industry, and genocidal government-sponsored events
Last week, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers For a Free Palestine revealed that the UK has continued to export thousands of military items to Israel. This despite the government suspending 29 arms export licences in September 2024.
Tuesday’s protest follows successive occupations and protests at the British Museum in response to its 10-year £50-million sponsorship with BP. EEFP’s campaign has four demands:
- Sever all ties to BP, including an end to the £50m sponsorship deal and any other sub-contracts
- Set up a democratic staff-led decision-making body for future political events, funding opportunities and public-private partnerships
- Rename the BP Lecture Theatre
- Issue a statement committing to no more fossil fuels or arms industry funding.
In September 2024, EEFP identified that 30% of Israel’s total energy supplies passes through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. This has gone on to fuel military operations in Gaza. In March 2025, Reuters reported that Israel has renewed the gas licences it awarded to a consortium of oil companies off the coast of the Gaza strip. This included fossil fuel giant BP.
Culture worker collectives and notably, the Public, Commercial and Services Union’s Culture Group have previously supported EEFP’s protests at the British Museum.
This is not the first time that the British Museum has come under fire for its unethical partnerships and private events. In 2015, the British Museum hosted “Day of the Dead” festivals to promote its sponsorship with BP. Protestors from climate and Mexican solidarity groups condemned the British Museum for its complicity with the Mexican state’s human rights abuses.
Featured image and additional images supplied
