- The British Museum is taking action after a staff member was found to have stolen gold and jewelry from the museum.
- The stolen pieces are valuable artifacts that date back as far as the 15th century BC and have yet to be recovered.
- It is not the first time the British Museum has faced accusations of showcasing looted items from the British Empire’s rule.
The British Museum has taken action by firing a staff member who was found to have stolen valuable artifacts from the museum.
The stolen items, including jewelry and gold, date back from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD. These items were not on display and were stored away in a room. The museum is currently making efforts to recover the stolen artifacts, according to a report by The Associated Press.
The museum’s chairman, George Osborne, stated, “Our priority is now threefold: first, to recover the stolen items; second, to determine if there were any lapses in security that allowed this to happen; and third, to take necessary measures, including investing in security and collection records, to prevent such incidents in the future. This incident only strengthens our resolve to reimagine the museum.”
The British Museum has not yet responded to Insider’s request for comment.
In recent years, there has been a growing debate surrounding the British Museum’s possession of artifacts obtained through colonialism, particularly from African countries, India, and other territories during the British Empire’s rule.
African and Indian activists have utilized social media platforms since 2016 to raise awareness and advocate for restitution campaigns, leading to some success in pressuring European and American art institutions to address the origins of their art collections, as reported by ARTNews.
Furthermore, elected officials in the UK, US, and Mexico have explored potential changes to laws that currently restrict the repatriation of art objects, according to ARTNews.
Geoffrey Robertson, a human rights lawyer, stated in 2019 that the British Museum, home to 8 million artifacts, possesses the largest collection of looted artifacts among British museums, as reported by The Guardian.
Notable artifacts include bronze plaques from the 13th century Benin, the Parthenon Marbles from Greece, and the Rosetta Stone from Egypt. Many of these artifacts are not available for public viewing and are stored away.
African governments have been campaigning for the return of these objects for decades, demanding that the British Museum and the British government repatriate them to their rightful places. In response, the British Museum has labeled certain items as “contested objects.”
Last year, the British Museum returned dozens of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria following a request by the Nigerian government, as reported by ABC.
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