'Woke nonsense': Museum slammed for 'stupidity and ignorance' after removing mummy over its lack of consent

Dead man “wokeing.” Mummies might not curse defilers from the afterlife, but that doesn’t mean you should display their remains, apparently. A Scottish museum has been branded “woke” after reportedly removing a museum’s mummies because the individuals hadn’t given their consent. Indeed, visitors to Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum will notice new signs at certain exhibits declaring that curators “removed human remains from this display as a mark of respect,” the Telegraph reported. 4 The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is seen in Glasgow on Thursday, July 17, 2014. cornfield – stock.adobe.com 4 A hands-on display explains ancient Egyptian funerary rites at Kelvingrove, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009.

Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 The so-called canceled artifacts included a mummified male head , a mummified foot, a mummified right hand recovered from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt and the remains of a priest called Nekt. Explore More New clues in Westminster Abbey mystery: Medieval skeleton buried in Roman-era sarcophagus finally identified Los Angeles braces as tornado alert issued Ancient treasure trove found after being hidden under former sports field for 2,000 years Glasgow Life, a publicly funded non-profit that oversees the Scottish city’s cultural institutions, claimed that the unorthodox move “reflects contemporary museum practice,” the Daily Mail reported.

“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,'” a spokesperson declared. “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.”

They added, “In the absence of such consent, we believe removing ancient Egyptian human remains from display is more respectful to the deceased individuals.” 4 A closed sign is seen on the entrance to Kelvingrove Museum as people are asked to work from home and socially distance themselves due to the coronavirus pandemic in Glasgow, Scotland, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Getty Images Culture vultures were appalled at this alleged desecration.

“I really struggle to see who benefits from this, or how it’s showing anyone more respect,” vented one X poster , while another fumed , “The HR-ification of our society is infuriating.” A third wrote, “The museum sector is ideologically possessed these days. [I] walked around a museum in Bath recently and every sign had a second sign under it where some victim group pertaining to the first sign had to be called out. Every single sign.” 4 “The museum sector is ideologically possessed,” lamented one X user while decrying the move by Kelvingrove Museum (pictured).

Getty Images Meanwhile, visitor Johnny McFarlane claimed that the removal robbed him and his daughter of a fun and educational experience. “My daughter has a book on the ancient Egyptians and has been quite animated by it so we took her to Kelvingrove Museum to see their mummy,” he lamented on X alongside a pic of the sign. “Except, it’s no longer there. All ‘human remains’ gone with the following sign up in place of exhibits that have been there for years.”

My daughter has a book on the ancient Egyptians and has been quite animated by it so we took her to Kelvingrove Museum to see their mummy. Except, it’s no longer there. All ‘human remains’ gone with the following sign up in place of exhibits that have been there for years. pic.twitter.com/DKGOx4VjpR — Jonny McFarlane (@jonnyrmcfarlane) October 17, 2026 Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and a former adviser to the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street, labeled the decision “virtue-signalling, woke nonsense.”

“It represents the triumph of educational stupidity and ignorance,” the official declared. “It is not possible to seek permission from those who died thousands of years ago.” See Also Parents should ask babies for ‘consent’ before changing their diapers: experts He added, “visitors to Scottish museums, children in particular, deserve better — they are being short-changed.” McGovern urged local institutions to follow the lead of the “great museums in Egypt” and “display mummies and human remains in a respectful way.”

Scottish Tory culture spokesman Murdo Fraser also condemned the move, labeling it a symptom of PC culture run amok. “Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective,” he said. “People visit museums to learn about ancient civilisations, not to see history hidden away because it fails to meet today’s ideological standards.” “Glasgow’s museums should be showcasing our history, not quietly removing it to appease the latest trend in political correctness.”

Despite the outcry, this is apparently just the beginning of the wrap battle. Glasgow Life said it also plans to remove other so-called problematic human remains from Kelvingrove as well as the St. Mungo Museum of Religious Art and Life.