British Museum's Pink Ball gala disrupted by climate protest and Greek government criticism

A climate protester infiltrated the British Museum's inaugural Pink Ball fundraising gala, interrupting a speech by museum chair George Osborne. The protester, working as a waitress for the catering company, denounced the institution's £50 million sponsorship deal with BP, accusing the company of contributing to climate collapse and enabling violence in Gaza. She specifically called out gala co-chair Isha Ambani, daughter of Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani. The Greek government lodged a formal complaint through Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, who condemned holding the dinner among the Parthenon marbles as 'provocative indifference' that endangers cultural assets. Organized by museum director Nicholas Cullinan, the celebrity-focused event charged £2,000 per ticket and raised £1.6 million for international partnerships. Notable attendees included actors James Norton and Sacha Baron Cohen, model Naomi Campbell, Emirati Sheikha Al Mayassa, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and London mayor Sadiq Khan. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice canceled their attendance following revelations about their father Andrew Windsor's connections to Jeffrey Epstein.