Critics accuse museum of surrendering to intimidation while Jewish history faces rising hostility in Britain”
The British Museum has triggered a major free-speech controversy after postponing an academic lecture on ancient Jewish history because of reported security concerns.
Paul Collins, keeper of the museum’s Middle East department, had been scheduled to deliver a Jewish Culture Month lecture titled “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum.”
The museum first described the event only as postponed, apologizing for inconvenience. However, Lord David Wolfson later published an internal ticketing email stating that the talk had been delayed because of security concerns.
Wolfson criticized the decision, warning that publicly funded institutions must not surrender to intimidation when hosting academic events connected to Jewish history.
The British Museum later said it had been informed that many registered attendees planned to deliberately disrupt the lecture. Officials claimed the decision was made to protect the event rather than diminish it.
Israeli Embassy spokesperson Alex Gandler condemned the cancellation, saying historical and academic truth should not be silenced by a violent pressure campaign. StandWithUs Israel director Michael Dickson also accused the museum of caving to extremists.
The controversy comes amid rising antisemitic attacks in London, including recent violence against Orthodox Jewish men in Golders Green and an assault on a Jewish man reportedly targeted after speaking Hebrew.
The cancellation has intensified concerns that intimidation is now being allowed to silence Jewish history, weaken academic freedom and reward hostility toward Israel and Jewish identity.
