Genocide Gala

Inside the ‘Israeli’ embassy’s secret party at the British Museum, where Jimmy Carr with Nigel Farage, Ian Austin, and Richard Tice, and Maria Eagle affirmed Britain’s commitment to arming genocide.

Originally published by New Socialist on 23 May 2025.

On the evening of Tuesday 13th May, we protested outside the British Museum as it hosted an ‘Israeli’ ‘Independence Day’ celebration, organised and paid for privately by the ‘Israeli’ embassy to Britain. The walls of the Museum were lit up in blue and the ‘Israeli’ national anthem was played, welcoming a guest list which included prominent far right politicians and journalists, individuals with ties to oil and military corporations, British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr – and, most significantly, the current Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle.

For the event to even go ahead in the first place, it had to be kept a secret - the British Museum’s leadership lied to their own staff, and to the public. Such concerted efforts to conceal an event being held in central London make a mockery of any Zionist claims that the public is on their side. It is testament to our will to denormalise and dismantle Zionism on the streets, in our communities, and at our cultural sites that the attendees cowered in shame on the way in. However, we must not claim this as an easy victory. The event ultimately went ahead.

Its guest list offers a rare insight into the inner workings of the ‘Israeli’ embassy and its relations with those in positions of political and cultural power in Britain. It shows the extent of cross-party political support for arming and fuelling ‘Israel’’s genocide in Gaza, as well as providing it with political and ideological cover.