Glasgow museum removes Egyptian mummies from display because it lacks ‘informed consent from the deceased’

A painted coffin containing the remains of the priest, a mummified male head, a mummified right hand recovered from the Valley of Kings in Luxor, Egypt, and a mummified right foot were among the items which are no longer viewable.

Receiving consent from the mummified remains of ancient Egyptians may be difficult because the artefacts are between 2,000 and 5,000 years old.

The changes, first reported by the Mail, came to light after a visitor posted a sign on social media at the museum reading: “We have removed human remains from this display as a mark of respect.”

Glasgow Life, a charitable organisation funded by SNP-run Glasgow City Council, said “human remains” would no longer be on display as this “reflects contemporary museum practice”.

Scottish Tory MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Murdo Fraser told the newspaper: “This is woke madness at its most ridiculous.

“Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective.

“People visit museums to learn about ancient civilisations, not to see history hidden away because it fails to meet today’s ideological standards.

He continued: “Glasgow’s museums should be showcasing our history, not quietly removing it to appease the latest trend in political correctness.”

Museum visitor Jonny McFarlane said on social media he brought his daughter to Kelvingrove Museum to see the mummy because she had a “book on the ancient Egyptians and has been quite animated by it”, but was surprised to find it no longer there.

“All ‘human remains’ gone with the following sign up in place of exhibits that have been there for years,” he added.

Glasgow Life said it was currently working to remove “archaeological human remains from the History Discovery Centre and the Scotland’s Early People gallery at Kelvingrove Museum”.

It added: “Once we have completed work at Kelvingrove Museum, work will begin to remove a coffin and mummified human remains on display in St Mungo Museum.”

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and a former adviser to the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street, slammed the removal of the items as “more virtue-signalling, woke nonsense”.

He 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.”

Mr McGovern suggested Scottish authorities “take a lead” from Egyptian museums and respectfully display human remains.

A Glasgow Life spokesman said: “The removal of human remains from display at Glasgow Life museums reflects contemporary museum practice.

“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’.

“The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations 2025 report, ‘Laying Ancestors to Rest’, also raises ethical concerns about the display of ancient Egyptian human remains due to the consistent disregard of the potential wishes of the ancestors and the intention of the communities that originally laid them to rest.

“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.”