British Museum Postpones Israel Lecture After Planned Protesters Register

The British Museum has postponed a Jewish Culture Month lecture on Ancient Israel and Judah that had been scheduled for Thursday, after warning of planned disruption and security concerns.

The event was part of the UK’s first nationwide Jewish Culture Month, a public celebration of Jewish culture, community and history. The museum said the move was meant to protect the event, while critics said it sent the wrong message.

The lecture, titled “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum,” was scheduled to take place on May 28, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s BP Lecture Theatre. It was to be delivered by Dr. Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum.

The event was listed as a historical and archaeological talk focused on objects in the museum connected to the kingdoms of ancient Israel and Judah. According to the museum’s event listing, the lecture was set to discuss material linked to the Assyrian siege of Lachish, the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, the return of displaced communities, the Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean kingdom.

In a statement Wednesday night, the museum said it had recently learned that a “significant proportion” of registered attendees were people intending to deliberately disrupt the event.

“The British Museum fully recognises the importance of lawful protest and freedom of expression in a democratic society,” a museum spokesperson said. “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.”

The museum said the decision was made after discussions with organizers and security partners. It said the event would be postponed to a later date when it could take place in a secure environment.

“This decision was made to protect the event — not to diminish it,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to support Jewish Culture Month and remain committed to providing a space where history, culture and scholarship can be explored openly, respectfully and without disruption.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which is behind Jewish Culture Month, condemned the attempted disruption and said it would work with the museum to reschedule the lecture.

“It is highly regrettable that individuals have sought to deliberately disrupt a Jewish Culture Month event celebrating Jewish cultural heritage at the British Museum,” the Board said.

“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,” it added.

Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, criticized the decision, saying the museum had canceled a Jewish Culture Month event on Ancient Israel and Judah because of “security concerns.”

“If publicly-funded institutions cannot host such events without folding to pressure, serious questions arise about that funding,” he said.

He later added: “I’ve no doubt that everyone has acted in good faith. But this is the wrong decision, at the wrong time, and sends precisely the wrong message.”

The postponement comes after the British Museum faced pressure earlier this year over how it labeled ancient Middle East displays, including references to Israel, Judah and Palestine. The museum also faced criticism in 2025 over a private Israeli Independence Day event hosted at the site.

The British Museum said it remains committed to Jewish Culture Month and intends to hold the lecture at a later date. No new date has been announced.