British Museum postpones Jewish Culture Month event over protest fears

The talk, which was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was postponed aft the London depository was told a "significant proportion" of attendees were readying to origin disruption.

The depository has said the determination was made to "protect the lawsuit - not to diminish it" and later, pursuing criticism, announced it would instrumentality spot "early adjacent month".

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it showed that "once again, the antisemitic mob has scored a victory", portion Conservative Party person Kemi Badenoch said Jewish acts were "being routinely cancelled".

The Board of Deputies of British Jews announced past twelvemonth that it was launching the archetypal ever Jewish Culture Month, with much than 100 events taking spot crossed the state to observe Jewish past and culture.

Announcing its determination to postpone the talk, the British Museum said: "In caller days, we were informed that a important proportionality of registered attendees were individuals intending to deliberately disrupt the event, preventing others from participating successful bully religion and undermining the intent of the programme."

In an updated connection shared connected Thursday day the depository said: "Alongside our partners astatine Jewish Culture Month, we are pleased that the rescheduled lecture, The Ancient History of Israel and Judah, volition instrumentality spot aboriginal adjacent month.

"Booking details volition beryllium published connected our website shortly.

"We expect beardown request and volition besides connection a livestream to marque the lawsuit accessible to a wider audience.

"A respectful and unafraid situation for our visitors, speakers and colleagues stay our highest priority, and we are moving intimately with each applicable teams to guarantee robust arrangements are successful place, arsenic would beryllium expected for an lawsuit of this nature."

The depository said the determination to postpone was taken to "protect" the lawsuit and it remains "committed to providing a abstraction wherever history, civilization and assistance tin beryllium explored openly, respectfully and without disruption".

The Board of British Deputies of Jews had called the postponement "highly regrettable" and said it was moving with the depository to reschedule the event.

A connection connected X read: "Jewish Culture Month has seen galore of Britain's large taste institutions spouse with america successful solemnisation of British Jewish culture, assemblage and creativity, and we volition not let the actions of extremists to forestall the British nationalist from enjoying these events."

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the determination to postpone the lawsuit showed: "In modern Britain, you can't person a Jewish Culture Month".

"Soon enough, successful modern Britain you whitethorn not person galore Jews either, fixed the percentages of them who accidental that they are considering leaving the country," their connection connected X added.

"The premier curate precocious talked astir however Jewish radical are being bullied retired of the arts: present we're seeing it astatine the country's starring museum.

"We are inactive waiting for immoderate brave instauration to basal up and accidental that the Jew-hating mob volition not triumph successful their space.

"One wonders if determination are immoderate inactive near successful modern Britain."

Earlier, Badenoch called connected Sir Keir Starmer's authorities to measurement successful and archer the British Museum to "do what's necessary" to marque definite the lawsuit tin spell ahead.

The Conservative person added: "Jewish Culture Month is meant to beforehand consciousness of and observe Jewish civilization successful the UK. This determination achieves precisely the opposite.

"Jewish acts and actors are present being routinely cancelled from events crossed the UK. As with the marches and protests going past synagogues and knocking connected doors intimidating Jews, the extremity effect is an erasure of Jews and Jewish civilization from Britain's nationalist space.

The lunchtime speech was owed to beryllium led by Paul Collins, the keeper of the Department of the Middle East astatine the British Museum, and centre connected the histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

The event's online statement said: "Material remains - monuments, reliefs, inscriptions and documents - shed airy connected the political, taste and imperial forces that shaped the portion betwixt astir 900 and 50 BC. Some of the astir important of these objects are preserved successful the British Museum."