The British Museum has ignited a fierce free-speech controversy after abruptly calling off an upcoming academic lecture focused on ancient Jewish history, JNS reported.
Paul Collins, the keeper of the institution's Middle East department, was scheduled to present a midday lecture titled “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum" on Thursday as part of the museum’s Jewish Culture Month.
However, the globally renowned institution released a terse cancellation message on its website on Wednesday, writing: “Please note this event has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience."
The museum's framing of the delay was quickly challenged by David Wolfson, a member of the House of Lords and an Orthodox Jew. Wolfson published a screenshot of an internal email sent out by the museum's ticketing office that explicitly cited safety risks as the catalyst for the cancellation.
“Important information about your booking. Due to security concerns, the Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum talk on Thursday May 28 has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience," the message read.
Wolfson, who serves as the shadow attorney general, lambasted the decision, warning of consequences for state-backed venues that capitulate to external intimidation.
“If publicly-funded institutions cannot host such events without folding to pressure, serious questions arise about that funding," Wolfson wrote.
In a follow-up defense of its actions, the British Museum acknowledged that the measure was reactive, stating it had been “informed that a significant proportion of registered attendees were individuals intending to deliberately disrupt the event." The administration maintained that “this decision was made to protect the event - not to diminish it."
Alex Gandler, a spokesperson representing the Israeli Embassy in London, fiercely rebuked the museum's administrators.
“It is shameful that historical and academic truths are being stifled by a grotesque, violent pressure campaign," Gandler stated. “Those who need to be canceled are the violent criminals that are threatening."
The sentiment was mirrored by Michael Dickson, the executive director of StandWithUs Israel, who characterized the cancellation as an outright capitulation.
“Jewish history under attack by extremists. The British Museum - one of the world’s most famous museums, founded in 1753 - caved into them," Dickson stated.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitism in Britain, and specifically in London and the area. The cancellation by the museum occurred less than a month after two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed in nearby Golders Green, and just days after another Jewish man was assaulted in the same neighborhood simply because he was overheard speaking Hebrew.
The Golders Green stabbing prompted the United Kingdom to raise its national terrorism threat level from "substantial" to "severe" for the first time in over four years.