Activists urge British Museum to drop BP
Celebrities and politicians wrote a letter to the museum’s new director, pushing it to end ties with the ‘unethical’ oil company. The organization said that discussions about the partnership ‘are continuing.’
Sounds pretty awesome, right? Not if you’re Dr. Hartwig Fischer—and especially not if the letter is from a cadre of actors, activists and politicians urging you to cut ties with one of your major funders.
Such is the case with the British Museum, where Fischer took over recently as its director.
The letter, which was published in The Guardian, urged Fischer to end the museum’s relationship with British Petroleum, which has lent its financial support since 1996.
BP is the museum’s longest-standing corporate sponsor. If there’s anything museum directors hate, it’s letting cash cows die.
The letter calls BP’s business practices “unethical.” It reads, in part:
BP’s business plan is incompatible with a stable climate, and the company is using its influence to lobby against effective climate policies.
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