Museum Faces Backlash For Removing Ancient Mummies Over 'Lack Of Consent'

A museum in Scotland recently sparked debate after removing several ancient Egyptian mummies and human remains from public view, reportedly because of a lack of 'informed consent' from the individuals, the New York Post reported. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow decided to take down the historic exhibits as part of a new draft policy regarding human remains.

According to the report, the museum organisers explained that they made the decision after realising that people who lived thousands of years ago never gave formal permission for their bodies to be put on display.

Also read | "I Was Scared": Mumbai-Based Biker Quits Job For Content Creation, Shares How Much He Earns Now

The Telegraph noted that the museum showed a new sign, which read that curators "removed human remains from this display as a mark of respect". The same was also highlighted by a user on a social media platform.

As per the report, the artefacts that were removed included a mummified male head, a mummified foot, and a mummified right hand recovered from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. The lot also included the remains of a priest called Nekt.

Museum management stated that the changes align with updated global museum guidelines and ethics codes emphasising the dignity of human remains.

"The International Council of Museums' revised Code of Ethics, published in June 2026, states that museums 'should uphold the inherent dignity of human remains and promote respect for their significance,'" a spokesperson for Glasgow Life, a publicly funded non-profit that oversees the Scottish city's cultural institutions, said as quoted by the Daily Mail.

"Glasgow Life Museums' draft Human Remains Policy proposes that human remains should only be displayed where there is documented and informed consent from the deceased individual or, in appropriate circumstances, their descendants."

"In the absence of such consent, we believe removing ancient Egyptian human remains from display is more respectful to the deceased individuals," they added.

debate over displaying ancient human remains

Also read | Chinese Woman Suffers Five Broken Ribs After Husband Hugs Her Tight

Critics slam the decision

However, the decision has drawn sharp criticism from political figures and commentators. Chris McGovern, who is the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, called the decision "virtue-signalling, woke nonsense". McGovern, who was a former adviser to the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street, further added, "It represents the triumph of educational stupidity and ignorance."

"It is not possible to seek permission from those who died thousands of years ago," he said, further adding that "visitors to Scottish museums, children in particular, deserve better - they are being short-changed".

"Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective," Scottish Tory culture spokesman Murdo Fraser said as quoted. "People visit museums to learn about ancient civilisations, not to see history hidden away because it fails to meet today's ideological standards."