A Jewish Culture Month event at the British Museum has been postponed over fears of “disruption”.
Ticket holders for the lecture on the kingdoms of Ancient Israel and Judah, which had been due to take place on Thursday, were told it was no longer scheduled due to “security concerns”.
In a statement on Wednesday night, the museum said that it has recently learned that a “significant number” of registered attendees were planning to “deliberately disrupt” the event.
The museum has stated its continued support for Jewish Culture Month and explained that the decision to postpone the talk “was made to protect the event – not to diminish it”.
A spokesperson for the museum said: “Like many leading cultural institutions across the UK, the British Museum is proud to support and host events recognising Jewish Culture Month.
“Tomorrow's event, led by members of our senior curatorial team alongside organisers from Jewish Culture Month, has been planned for many months as part of our commitment to education, scholarship and cultural dialogue.
“In recent days, we were informed that a significant proportion of registered attendees were individuals intending to deliberately disrupt the event, preventing others from participating in good faith and undermining the purpose of the programme.
“The British Museum fully recognises the importance of lawful protest and freedom of expression in a democratic society. 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.
“Following discussions with organisers and security partners, a joint decision was taken to postpone the event to a later date when it can take place in an environment that properly safeguards both the audience experience and the integrity of the programme itself.
“This decision was made to protect the event — not to diminish it. 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.”
In a statement responding to the cancellation, the Board of Deputies said: “It is highly regrettable that individuals have sought to deliberately disrupt a Jewish Culture Month event celebrating Jewish cultural heritage at the British Museum.
"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.
“We will be working with our partners at the British Museum to reschedule this event as soon as possible.”
But Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, criticised the decision, saying: “The British Museum has cancelled a Jewish Culture Month event on Ancient Israel and Judah due to ‘security concerns’.
“If publicly-funded institutions cannot host such events without folding to pressure, serious questions arise about that funding.”
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.”
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