The director of the British Museum says he's stepping down immediately amid investigations into the theft or disappearance of hundreds of items from its massive collection, including gold jewelry, semi-precious gems and antiquities dating to the 15th century B.C. Hartwig Fischer says he's resigning now, rather than waiting until next year, as he had originally planned.
FILE - Visitors walk outside the British Museum in Bloomsbury, London, Friday, June 26, 2015. The British Museum said a member of staff has been dismissed after items were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. The museum said Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 it has also ordered an independent review or security and ordered kickstart a 'vigorous program to recover the missing items.
“It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021, and to the problem that has now fully emerged," Fischer said in a statement. “The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director." Stolen artifacts include gold jewelry, semi-precious gemstones and glass dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D. Most were small items kept in a storeroom and none had been on display recently, the museum said.
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