Should The UK Return Contested Historical Artefacts? - Whitechapel Debate

Why Are We Having This Debate

Should museum artifacts be repatriated? Who actually owns the artifacts? Are there any legal obligations to return artifacts?

Articles

List of contested artefacts at the british museum - British Museum

Public opinion polls on the topic - YouGov

Come along and have your vote!

What To Expect

3v3 panel debate where our members explore the strongest arguments for a given topic.

A debate should tell the audience what they need to know and not just what the speakers think. If you feel the same way, then we want to meet you.

Debate London is the year-round series of free public debates held across London. The series is run by Debate London, a social enterprise that helps its members to advance their personal and professional development by teaching them how to debate.

All of our speakers are club members who have agreed to defend a particular perspective the audience need to hear, rather than just share their own personal opinion. After presenting the point of view assigned to them, the audience are then given the floor to cross-examine them and share their own position.

The only time we hear what the speakers really think is at the end of the debate when they tell us where they really stand and whether this changed at all while learning how to defend the perspective assigned to them.