Don’t remove controversial objects, Dowden warns museums

Following suggestions that contorversial statues and other items related to slavery should be removed from museums and galleries, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has warned cultural organisations that the "significant support that you receive from the taxpayer is an acknowledgement of the important cultural role you play for the entire country". He demands that they continue to act "impartially", in line with their publicly funded status, and insists they "play an important role in teaching us about our past, with all its faults." The British Museum, which last month announced it was moving the bust of its founder, slave owner Hans Sloane, to a less-prominent position, has confirmed it has no intention of removing controversial objects from display.

The Musuems Association has responded to Dowden, challenging his letter to museums, which asks them to notify the government of any activities in this area and implies that government funding may be withheld if museums do not comply. The Association states that his position "contravenes the long-established principle that national museums and other bodies operate at arm’s length from government and are responsible primarily to their trustees." It points him to the Code of Ethics for Museums, the first principle of which is that museums should ensure editorial integrity in programming and interpretation and "resist attempts to influence interpretation or content by particular interest groups, including lenders, donors and funders.”