British Museum action continue
Friends stage third protest at the British Museum
London-based Friends staged a third protest at the British Museum on Tuesday 3 June. A group of sixteen people held a silent Meeting for Worship in the building’s atrium as an act of witness in opposition to the role of BP as a corporate sponsor of the museum. The protestors also distributed leaflets to visitors. There was a lot of interest from the public. The leaflets explained their actions: ‘We gather in stillness to show love for our earth, and our resistance to powers such as oil company BP, who sponsor British Museum exhibitions.’
Quaker Hannah Brock, who took part in the protest, said: ‘BP’s sponsorship of the British Museum is an attempt to “greenwash” over their considerable sins against the earth and its people. It’s a hard time for arts and museum funding, but by accepting BP’s sponsorship, the British Museum is helping this destructive company’s PR campaign.
‘I loved being part of a Meeting for Worship in the British Museum, because it felt like we were quietly but powerfully challenging the veneer of respectability that they give to a business that threatens us all.’
BP is the British Museum’s longest standing partner, having supported the institution since 1996. The company also sponsors the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain. These partnerships have recently been renewed for five years at a cost of nearly £10 million.
The group is planning one more protest before the end of the Viking exhibition, which is currently on show at the museum. The Viking exhibition is sponsored by BP.
Comments
Everyone is welcome to join us for the next one: 12.30pm, British Museum Atrium, Monday 16th June. Please spread the word!
By hanbrock on 6th June 2014 - 10:17
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