British Museum Mocked For Sacking Staff Over Stolen Treasures

The British Museum has dismissed a member of its staff following reports that some treasures were “missing, stolen or damaged” – and the internet immediately started pointing out a very obvious point.

The London-based museum said police were investigating a range of missing items, including gold, jewellery and semi-precious stone gems, most of which had been kept in a storeroom – although they are yet to arrest anyone.

The director of the major tourist attraction, Hartwig Fischer, said it was a “highly unusual incident”, and that security arrangements have already been tightened.

Legal action is going to be taken against the sacked staff member. The museum has also begun an independent review of security led by a former trustee and the British Transport Police.

All of the missing items were dated between 15th Century BC and 19th Century AD – and allegedly taken before this year, over an undisclosed period of time.

The irony is the British Museum has received plenty of scrutiny itself over the way it has acquired its highly-sought after artefacts.

For instance, the Elgin Marbles (also known as the Parthenon sculptures) have been on display there since the 19th Century, despite being of Greek origin and possibly dating back to 447BC.

Chair of trustees George Osbourne did acknowledge there has been “quite a bitter disagreement”  for more than 200 years over the items, because Greece wants them back.

Easter Islanders have also called for their sculpture of Hoa Hakananai’a to be returned.

And, in an unusual move, institutions across the UK have promised to return Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes in 2022 after the country called for them to go back to their place of origin, although they have not been transferred yet. 

Still, a leading human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson, told The Guardian back in 2019: “The trustees of the British Museum have become the world’s largest receivers of stolen property, and the great majority of their loot is not even on public display.”

He said the museum allows an unofficial “stolen goods tour”.

With all that in mind, it’s not surprising X (formerly known as Twitter) swung into action after the BBC reported what was happening with the British Museum, with people quickly calling the institution out....