Bayeux Tapestry: Thousands rally against ‘catastrophic’ move of 1,000-year-old relic from France to London
Thousands sign petition to stop loan of Bayeux Tapestry to London
- A petition signed by over 64,000 people is urging French President Emmanuel Macron to revoke the loan of the 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry to London.
- Experts warn that transporting the fragile 70-metre-long medieval relic, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, would cause irreparable damage.
- The decision to loan the tapestry, announced by President Macron for September next year, is considered a "purely political decision" by critics, going against expert advice from 2020 and 2021.
- The Bayeux Museum states it has developed "engineering solutions" for handling the tapestry, despite previous concerns from its chief curator regarding its condition.
- The tapestry, believed to have been created by English embroiderers, has never been displayed in the UK, and previous loan requests were rejected by France.