British Museum postpones Jewish Culture Month lecture on Ancient Israel and Judah due to security concerns

The British Museum in London has postponed a lecture on “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum,” scheduled for today to celebrate Jewish Culture Month, due to security concerns, according to the museum’s statement.

Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East, was supposed to give an hourlong talk on how “the histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah can be illuminated by the archaeology and art of the wider ancient Middle East,” focusing on the artifacts preserved in the museum.

The museum says the event will take place at an unspecified later date.

“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 statement reads.

“The British Museum fully recognises the importance of lawful protest and freedom of expression in a democratic society,” it adds. “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 pledges to continue supporting Jewish Culture Month.

In recent months, the British Museum has been at the center of a controversy regarding the use of the term Palestine and Palestinian in some of its displays.