The MuCEM of Marseille caught up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Caught up in the burning situation in the Middle East, the only national museum located outside Paris is today in the middle of a storm and at the heart of a standoff between local politicians! The Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM) installed on the J4 esplanade at the entrance to the Old Port of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) has just ended its partnership with one of its founding patrons, Digital Realty, the American data center giant which operates four of these data centers on the port of Marseille and is in the process of building a fifth.

The museum’s management has in fact indicated that it will not renew next year its agreement with the company, accused by Palestine defense associations, which demonstrated twice this summer, of being linked to an Israeli company which wishes to settle in the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Golan. A decision hailed as an “important victory after months of mobilization” by the pro-Palestinian BDS movement.

In the context of the electoral campaign for the municipal elections next March in Marseille, this decision, on the other hand, made the president of the Paca region, Renaud Muselier, and Martine Vassal, both president of the Bouches-du-Rhône department and of the metropolis, but also a candidate opposed to mayor Benoît Payan.

Even if the museum depends on the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, the two elected officials announced Friday on behalf of their communities “the suspension of any form or prospect of cooperation with the MuCEM” and requested an emergency meeting of a board of directors. A first for this institution, heir to the collections of the former Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in Paris and opened in 2013, when Marseille was European Capital of Culture. The region has, for example, financed the museum to the tune of 550,000 euros over ten years and the local authorities sit on the board of directors without a deliberative voice.

“Today we ask for clarity”

“Today we demand clarity. Why was this decision taken under pressure from far-left activities who want to import the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into France? What is the explanation from the museum management? », Write the two elected officials in a joint press release after emphasizing: “We refuse any compromise with anti-Semitism and racism, in the structures that we finance. »

A sign that the controversy has taken a delicate political turn, both Digital Realty and the MuCEM management are refusing any interview or comment, contenting themselves with a short joint press release explaining that the end of this patronage had been decided by “mutual agreement” so that “the museum continues its public service missions in a peaceful context”.