Fischer announced his resignation by making a written statement, following the loss, theft and damage, which was announced by the British Museum on August 16, but understood to have occurred in the past.
Pointing out that the incident took place in the past years, Fischer said, “The museum did not respond with the seriousness it should have given to what happened on the allegations in 2021, and the problem has now been fully revealed.” used the phrase.
Stating that the responsibility belongs to the museum director, Fischer apologized for the statements of Danish historical artifact expert Ittai Gradel that he had some stolen artifacts and said, “I was misled.” said.
Fischer stated that his resignation was accepted by the British Museum Board of Directors and that he will continue to serve as a proxy until a new director is elected.
Emphasizing that the allegations against the museum should be taken seriously, Fischer said, “Unfortunately, I think that my presence in this position is a distraction. This is the last thing I want.” used the phrase.
“We deserve to be admired again”
George Osborne, the former British Finance Minister and Chairman of the Board of the British Museum, said that Fischer took an honorable stance in the face of the events.
Stating that Fischer’s commitment to his duty is unquestionably strong, Osborne emphasized that the administration will take the right steps in order to correct the wrongs, with the lessons learned from the experiences.
“I make it clear that we will correct anything that goes wrong. We will learn, rebuild our confidence, and deserve to be admired again,” Osborne said. said.
Some works are for sale on eBay.
The British Museum, in a statement on 16 August, reported that many historical artifacts in the museum warehouses were stolen, lost or damaged.
It was stated that a person responsible for the artifacts kept in the museum for academic research purposes, not for exhibition purposes, was dismissed.
It was reported in the British media that the personnel in question was Peter Higgs, the curator working in the field of Mediterranean cultures, Hellenistic sculptures and artifacts, and that the number of lost works was approximately 2,000.
It has been revealed that some works have been waiting for their buyers on the shopping site eBay for years, and it has been stated that the works that are on sale are works that do not have a photo in the museum catalogues.
Archaeologist Dorothy Lobel King said, “It is very difficult to say which artifacts are not in the museum. The museum has not accepted the lost for 2 years, but I could not see any of the reliefs that I requested to see for academic research only this year.” he said.