Climate activists stage 'Stonehenge drilling prank' at British Museum to highlight BP's cultural vandalism


The group said the parody exhibition — in which performers pretended that BP was planning to drill for oil at Stonehenge — was aimed at highlighting the “hypocrisy” of the sponsorship while BP’s operations threaten other ancient sites around the globe

CLIMATE activists staged a Stonehenge oil drilling prank at the British Museum today, targeting a new BP-sponsored exhibition.

The institution has prompted renewed anger over its ongoing collaboration with “cultural vandal” BP, which is the sponsor of its “World of Stonehenge.”

Dressed in suits, members of the activist theatre group BP or not BP staged a fake exhibition complete with a “photorealistic image” of drilling rigs and pipelines at Stonehenge on the opening weekend of the new display.

The group said the parody exhibition — in which performers pretended that BP was planning to drill for oil at Stonehenge — was aimed at highlighting the “hypocrisy” of the sponsorship while BP’s operations threaten other ancient sites around the globe.

Explaining the action, the group said: “It also includes a label explaining that — while BP isn’t really planning to drill at Stonehenge — the idea isn’t as far-fetched as it appears, as BP’s drilling operations are causing irreversible damage to ancient cultural sites elsewhere in the world.”

Performers pointed to damage to the aboriginal rock art of Murujuga in western Australia from industrial pollution caused by the Burrup Peninsula gas extraction project, part owned by BP.

The oil giant is pushing to expand the fuel extraction project, despite warnings that emissions could destroy the ancient rock art.

One of the protesters, Deborah Locke, said: “It’s beyond ironic that BP is sponsoring an exhibition of ancient art, while simultaneously pushing forward with destroying one of the largest, densest and most diverse collections of ancient artworks in the world in Australia.

“How can the British Museum even be considering renewing their partnership with this cultural and ecological vandal?

“It’s time the museum stopped cosying up to its corporate buddies and acted to preserve the world’s climate and cultural heritage.”

It comes as more than 300 archaeologists and historians wrote to the museum’s trustees last week calling on them to drop BP over its role in contributing to the climate emergency.

“Refusing further sponsorship from BP would send a strong signal that fossil fuel corporations — like tobacco and arms companies — are no longer welcome in cultural life,” the letter reads.

“By diminishing BP’s ‘social licence to operate,’ it would help to support our society’s transition away from fossil fuels.”

The British Museum was approached for comment.