Activists occupy British Museum over Tulchinsky’s links to Israeli settlements

What Happened

Pro-Palestine activists from Energy Embargo for Palestine occupied the British Museum’s Great Hall on Saturday during the opening of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. The protest targeted billionaire Igor Tulchinsky’s sponsorship of the exhibition and his reported funding of a community centre in Efrat, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank that faces UK sanctions, according to a Middle East Eye investigation. Demonstrators demanded the museum end its relationship with BP, create a democratic staff-led body to oversee partnerships and events, rename the BP lecture theatre, and reject funding from fossil fuel and arms companies. Green Party leader Zack Polanski called on the British government to investigate Tulchinsky’s sponsorship following the investigation. A separate Middle East Eye investigation found that the museum removed the words “Palestine”, “Palestinian” and “Israelite occupation” from displays after months of lobbying in 2026.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The protest links a major UK cultural institution to the Israel–Palestine conflict through the sponsorship of an individual reportedly connected to a sanctioned Israeli settlement. It highlights growing domestic political pressure in the UK over cultural partnerships with entities tied to Israeli settlements, as well as broader activist demands for divestment from fossil fuel and arms companies. The event also raises questions about museum governance and the influence of private sponsors on historical and political narratives.

Watch For

Energy Embargo for Palestine plans to unveil a “People’s Tapestry” created with the Camden People’s Museum and Camden Friends of Palestine, showing a local community’s vision for presenting history. Monitor whether the British Museum responds to the demands, whether it ends or alters its relationship with BP or Tulchinsky, and whether the UK government opens an investigation into Tulchinsky’s sponsorship as called for by Zack Polanski.