London’s Victoria & Albert Museum took some serious backlash over the weekend after it was reported that an exhibit on British humor had included the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher alongside Osama bin Laden and Adolf Hitler in a short list of “contemporary villains.”
The exhibit, which was meant to show how British humor had evolved over time, showcased Victorian “Punch & Judy” puppets along with a caption that included the following:
Over the years, the evil character in this seaside puppet show has shifted from the Devil to unpopular public figures including Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and Osama bin Laden, to offer contemporary villains.
Critics were quick to address the issue, with many noting that whatever people thought of Thatcher — Britain’s first female prime minister — she hardly belonged on a short list of “villains” that only included 9/11 architect and al Qaeda terrorist bin Laden and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Nile Gardiner, former aide to Thatcher, argued that the museum should lose access to any government funding over the display. “The V& A should have its public funding taken away because it’s engaging here in political activity,” he said.
'The V&A should have its public funding taken away because it's engaging here in political activity.'
Former aide to Margaret Thatcher, Nile Gardiner, reacts to the V&A exhibition listing Margaret Thatcher as a 'contemporary villain' alongside Hitler and Osama Bin Laden. pic.twitter.com/ZEXjmguHIv
— GB News (@GBNEWS) March 18, 2024
Deputy leader of Reform UK, Ben Habib, argued that whatever one thought of Thatcher’s politics, she was an important part of Britain’s history. He added, “Whoever made this decision should be sacked.”
'Whoever made this decision should be sacked'.
Deputy leader of Reform UK, Ben Habib, reacts to a V&A exhibition that named Margaret Thatcher, alongside Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, as a 'contemporary villain'. pic.twitter.com/yjsshZVRLR
— GB News (@GBNEWS) March 18, 2024
“It’s staggeringly offensive to bracket Britain’s first female Prime Minister with a genocidal maniac and a terrorist,” Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey wrote.
🖊 "Why does the V&A think Margaret Thatcher is a villain equivalent to Hitler?"
"It’s staggeringly offensive to bracket Britain’s first female Prime Minister with a genocidal maniac and a terrorist"
Read the full column from @CamillaTominey below ⬇️ https://t.co/lsbcPbJ630
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 16, 2024
“Whoever wrote that caption should be called out publicly for being a moron, or perhaps more usefully sent to read a Ladybird book of modern world history. It is sadly symptomatic of the woke, luvvie-dom nonsense that persists in our public institutions,” Sir Connor Burns, a former trade minister and Conservative MP said. “They should be given a serious rap across the knuckles and a clarion instruction to grow up.”
According to a report published Sunday by The Daily Mail, the V&A took in the majority of it’s funding from the government through the Department of Culture — to the tune of £67 million — in the last year.