Demonstrators pour molasses ’slick’ around British Museum statue to protest BP sponsorship

Anti-BP group has sticky protest at British Museum

LONDON — Demonstrators have poured sticky black liquid around a statue in the British Museum to protest its sponsorship by BP PLC.

The museum says the liquid was molasses and no damage was done to the 3,000-year-old carving of a human head and torso from Easter Island.

Protest group Culture Beyond Oil said in a statement that it chose the object because it “represents the way in which civilizations once considered invincible can collapse in a short period of time.”

The huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill has emboldened environmentalists calling for arts bodies to stop taking money from oil companies. London has seen a series of small protests outside museums and galleries sponsored by BP.

The British Museum said Tuesday it was grateful for BP’s ongoing support.