Cullinan said: “I want to be absolutely clear: the British Museum did not and will not give in to intimidation and the heckler’s veto. Disruption will never become an acceptable way to determine what is discussed or who is leading a conversation within these four walls.
“A public talk delivered by a senior curator for Jewish Culture Month at the British Museum should’ve been unremarkable, but in the polarising times in which we live this event became a flashpoint in a wider argument about protest, intimidation, and the limits of free expression.”
Public institutions worldwide, he said, are accustomed to protest, which is a healthy feature of democratic life, but there is a “fundamental difference between protest outside an event and organised disruption within it intended to silence and overwhelm. Especially at such an understandably difficult moment for the Jewish community in the UK.
Dr Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, gives a talk on Ancient Israel at the British Museum, June 11, 2026 (Credit: Daniel Ben-David)[Missing Credit]
“Museums exist to facilitate learning, enquiry and debates. They are civic spaces where histories can be examined through scholarship, evidence and discussion.
“If disruption becomes an accepted means of determining which conversations are permitted, then the result is not greater freedom, but less of it. And this episode is not specific to the British Museum. Across the UK and around the world, institutions increasingly find themselves caught between opposing pressures.
"We live in uneasy times, when the historical subjects are drawn into contemporary conflicts. The test of an institution’s commitment to free expression is not whether it avoids controversy, it is whether it creates the conditions for ideas to be examined vigorously, respectfully and without intimidation.
“This is why it is so important that today’s talk will go ahead and be heard by many more people than originally imagined.”
The speech was met with enthusiastic applause.
The lecture itself, delivered by Dr Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, explored how objects in the museum’s collection shed light on the history of ancient Israel and Judah, as well as the cultures and societies of the region.
Artefacts from across the ancient Near East illustrated the political upheavals and military conflicts described in the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible, as well as in Assyrian and Babylonian historical records.
[Missing Credit]Dr Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, gives a talk on Ancient Israel at the British Museum, June 11, 2026 (Credit: Daniel Ben-David)
Following the event, Board of Deputies Acting President Adrian Cohen said: “For one of the world’s most renowned museums to host the highest-attended event of Jewish Culture Month is a significant moment.
“This lecture on ancient Israel and Judah was a truly enriching experience. We have been delighted to see it enjoyed by so many people, both here at the British Museum and by those joining online, reflecting the strong public appetite for engagement with Jewish history and heritage. This is exactly the type of event we envisaged for Jewish Culture Month.
“Jewish Culture Month was created by the Board of Deputies to open up Jewish life, creativity, history, and culture to the widest possible audience – from lectures, exhibitions and concerts to food, family events, comedy nights, and community celebrations. Thousands of people have joined more than 150 events across the country.”
