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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Harriette Boucher

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.

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