In February 2023, a display of artwork by Palestinian children at Chelsea and Westminster hospital was removed after a complaint by UK Lawyers for Israel which said it made patients feel “vulnerable, harassed and victimised”. The artworks were produced in a collaborative art project between schoolchildren in Gaza and members of the Chelsea community hospital school.

Since November 2023, local residents have been contacting the school to locate the censored artworks, and to offer our support in having them re-exhibited elsewhere. We were disappointed not to have heard back despite multiple attempts to reach the leadership team. The school has also ignored an FOI request seeking to locate the artworks.

In the past 9 months, an estimated 26,000 children have been killed or injured in Gaza. We don’t know what has come of the children who made those artworks. But we know they entrusted their work with the school. Those children likely believed that the school and hospital community would advocate for and support their art to be seen by the widest possible audiences. Yet, to our knowledge, their art is gathering dust in a store room because the hospital capitulated to pressure from pro-Israel lawyers who felt threatened by children’s drawings.

Months after first contact, having exhausted all other avenues at our disposal to reach the school’s leadership, we have created this public petition in hopes that the school will engage in dialogue with us about finding a new home for the children’s art.

If you are unable to advocate for these children, let us support you - give us the artworks! As we informed you in an earlier email in December, we have already found reputable arts organisations that would be happy to become guardians of the artworks. However, we have yet to hear back from you on our offer of support.

Our message to the school:

• We demand an immediate meeting to discuss transferring the artworks to an organisation that has the experience and capacity to take care of them and make sure they are seen by the widest possible audiences. 

This letter has been written by local residents who are appalled at the censorship of Palestinian voices by our local hospital. We look forward to hearing from the hospital school's leadership on this matter. 

Follow the campaign @palestinekchf on Instagram.