Greenpeace protest: British Museum evacuated as activists scale columns

The British Museum was evacuated today as protesters scaled columns at the front of the building.

Police were called out to deal with the five-hour protest organised by environmental campaign group Greenpeace.

Campaigners launched the demonstration at about 9.30am to call on the museum to drop oil giant BP’s sponsorship of its latest exhibition, Sunken Cities.

Images posted on Twitter show activists climbing the columns outside the building.

Seamus Ross, a university professor from Toronto, was visiting the museum for the first day of the Sunken Cities exhibition when it was evacuated.

The 58-year-old told the Standard: "The activists are dropping the banners down now. Police have cordoned it all off.

"A couple of ambulances have arrived incase someone gets hurt and fire trucks.

"Security check your bags on the way in but how they missed 14 protesters with backpacks, ropes, hard hats, and banners - it's just unbelievable.

"While one may be sympathetic to Greenpeace's cause, it's really unfortunate as there are many people here who have lost their only chance to see this exhibition.

"It's supposed to be out of this world."

Anne McNeill, who shared a picture of a police cordon in place outside the museum, said: "Something's occurring @britishmuseum.

"It's a @Greenpeace @GreenpeaceUK protest against #BP sponsorship."

Dani Odisho wrote: "@GreenpeaceUK activists scale columns of British museum in protest of BP sponsorship. Crowds are applauding!"

The campaign group said it was rebranding the pillars with banners representing six places experiencing flooding and extreme weather including the British town Hebden Bridge that was submerged by floods last winter.

A Greenpeace spokesman: “The British Museum dedicates itself to learning, discovery and the conservation of human cultures, but the only discoveries BP seeks are more fossil fuels to dig up and burn which are already polluting our air and warming our world.

“We’re here today taking a stand because of the irony of an oil company sponsoring an exhibition whose name practically spells out impacts of climate change. What were they thinking?”

The museum reopened at around 2.15pm.

A spokeswoman for the museum said: "The decision to close the Museum this morning was taken to ensure the safety of the Museum’s visitors.