Fury as British Museum cancels Jewish event – ‘pathetic cowardice’ | UK | News

Two shocking incidents of anti-Semitic intimidation last night were blamed for “the erasure of Jews and Jewish culture from Britain’s public sphere”.

British Museum chiefs have been accused of “cowardice” after postponing a Jewish history lecture after it emerged pro-Palestinian activists had deliberately planned to disrupt the lecture.

Trouble Bosses withdrew the speech at the last minute after being warned that a “significant proportion” of the audience intended to cause trouble.

Disturbing footage online shows 80-year-old actress Dame Helen Mirren being shouted at on the street at night by a man who called her an “evil Zionist whore”.

Dame Helen, who played Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the 2023 film Golda, encountered a pro-Palestinian supporter, her husband, director Taylor Hackford (81), who shouted obscenities at them while walking near Tower Bridge in London. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the museum’s decision to cancel an event aimed at raising awareness of Jewish culture had the “exact opposite” result. He added: “Jewish shows and actors are now routinely canceled from events.

“As with the marches and protests that march past synagogues and knock on doors to intimidate Jews, the result is the erasure of Jews and Jewish culture from Britain’s public sphere.”

Labor MP Luke Akehurst said it was “completely demoralizing and a poor decision”, adding: “We need our key public institutions to stand up to antisemitism rather than fear it.”

Yesterday’s History of Israel and Judea lecture was postponed due to fear of pro-Gaza protests, the museum said.

Museum president and former Chancellor George Osborne said the announcement was “worth reading before speculating” as the move drew immediate criticism.

But leading historian Simon Schama, who is Jewish, accused bosses of “pathetic cowardice” and said: “Absolutely wrong decision… sends a terrible message.”

The museum said: “We have been informed that a significant number of registered participants are individuals who deliberately intend to disrupt the event, prevent others from participating in good faith and undermine the purpose of the programme.

“Following discussions with organizers and security partners, a joint decision was made to postpone the event to a later date when it can take place in an environment that appropriately protects both the audience experience and the integrity of the programme.

“This decision was made to preserve the event, not to diminish it. We will continue to support Jewish Culture Month and are committed to providing a space where history, culture and science can be explored in an open, respectful and uninterrupted manner.”

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Britain institutions must stand firm in the face of racist intimidation and hatred.

“Antisemitism has no place in our country and the postponement of an event about ancient Israel at the British Museum is a sad indictment of the hatred experienced by our Jewish communities. It is equally appalling and unacceptable to see public figures abused on the street simply to defend Israel. This behavior reflects a toxic growth of antisemitism and must be stopped.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for the actions of the Dame Helen mob to be called out, adding that the UK was at a point where “public figures can be shouted at and abused simply because they are perceived to be sympathetic to the world’s only Jewish state”.

Dame Helen, who is not Jewish, openly supported Israel and opposed cultural boycotts of Israel.

In the video clip, first published by the Antifascist Action UK Instagram account in November, she smiles at a man filming her and asks if she is “okay” – but the man launches into a vile tirade, saying: “And here is Helen Mirren, an avowed Zionist.

“You said Israel should exist forever because of the genocide. And the Palestinians were so happy their homes were destroyed. You evil bastard. You’re an evil Zionist bitch. And you [Mr Hackford] Also, fuck you and all of you.”

Shimon Cohen, campaign director at Jewish humanitarian society Shechita UK, said: “Why are we signaling that intimidation, derogatory harassment and violence against Jews is working?

“The British Museum could ‘celebrate the contribution of our communities’ outside the Jewish community. Instead, their message is clear: Why should they be afraid, cancelled, and increasingly subjected to hatred for the cowardice of our passivity? Just because Jews don’t count.”

Conservative MP Bob Blackman said of the abuse towards Dame Helen: “We have allowed this hatred to fester.

“Precautions should have been taken earlier. All antisemitic acts should result in arrest, prosecution and punishment.” Dov Forman, grandson of writer and Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert MBE, wrote: “If a society can no longer protect its Jews in the public squares, if it can no longer guarantee that conversations about ancient archeology will not be shut down by a mob, then that society has already lost something fundamental.”

He continued: “Eventually the British Museum will host the talk. The talk will be rescheduled for a quieter, safer time. It will be…a scaled-down thing. And people who believe Jewish culture has no place in British public life will find their tactics are working.”

Stephen Pollard, former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said the term “security concerns” was the new “Jews not allowed”. He said the museum “thought it was doing the right thing… but all it actually did was give crazy people veto power to cancel events for or with Jews.” The museum said the talk had been postponed “until next month” and that it was working to “ensure robust arrangements are in place”.

The Met Police said of the Dame Helen video: “Officers are currently reviewing the footage and attempting to contact victims to determine whether they would like to report the incident.”

Dame Helen’s representative has been contacted for comment.