At Tate Modern in London on Sunday, activists protested museum patron and billionaire Len Blavatnik. Members of the British-Israeli group WeDemocracy called on Blavatnik to “stop the attack on the free press,” a reference to allegations of censorship at Channel 13, an Israeli broadcaster owned by the Ukrainian-born businessman.
A video posted on WeDemocracy’s Instagram page depicts protestors gathered in front of a Tate building named after Blavatnik. The building opened in 2016 following a £50 million gift from Blavatnik to the institution.
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“Blavatnik, don’t mess with freedom of the press!” the protestors can be heard chanting.
Blavatnik owns the majority stake in Channel 13 (Reshet Media) through his company, Access Industries. His influence on Channel 13’s programming has been under recent scrutiny following the network’s decision to appoint former politician Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich as its chief executive last month. According to a report in the Guardian, soon after Shamalov-Berkovich’s appointment, an investigative news program known for its critical takes on the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was canceled.
Blavatnik is well-known in England for sponsoring museums such as Tate and the Courtauld Institute of Art. But Aviel Lewis, a London-based Israeli and member of WeDemocracy, told the Guardian that the public should understand his role in “something that is clearly taking Israeli media years back and corrupting it.”
Blavatnik was knighted in recognition of his donations to British cultural institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. His £50 million ($65,000) contribution to Tate Modern’s extension was the largest-ever financial gift to a UK museum, surpassing the Sainsbury family’s £25 million ($32,000) donation to the British Museum in 2014.
A spokesperson for Access Industries said in a statement to the Guardian: “Sir Leonard Blavatnik believes in the importance of press freedom in Israel and across the world. He has invested a significant amount of money in Israel’s Channel 13 to safeguard its existence and secure the future of free, impartial journalism. The channel has never had a political agenda—as is the law in Israel—and he has never had editorial input.
“It is categorically not the case that Sir Leonard appointed the CEO of News. The decision as to who runs Channel 13 News is a matter for its independent board on which Sir Leonard has no role. Freedom of expression and informed debate are core values of the channel, and this will always remain the case.”
Spokespersons for Tate and Access Industries did not respond to ARTnews’s request for comment.