Over 200 artists and cultural groups, led by musician Brian Eno, have published an open letter demanding the British Museum stop what they call the "erasure of Palestine." The letter accuses the museum of altering wall texts in its Middle East Galleries, such as replacing "Palestinian descent" with "Canaanite descent," following pressure from the pro-Israel group UK Lawyers for Israel. The signatories also criticize the institution's past ties to the Israeli embassy and sponsor BP, issuing demands for an expert review of labels and an apology for hosting an Israeli embassy gala.
The controversy highlights intense cultural and political battles over historical narrative and representation within major institutions. The artists frame the label changes as part of a broader pattern of denying Palestinian identity and history, connecting it to the museum's possession of artifacts removed during the British colonial era and accusing it of complicity in the current Gaza conflict. This public challenge pressures one of the world's most prominent museums to address the political implications of its curatorial choices and historical collections.