
Greenpeace activists hang banners on the front of the British Museum on May 19, 2016 in London, England.

The protest was aimed at BP's sponsorship of one of the museum's new exhibits, Sunken Cities, which was to open today.

The museum was closed while the protest continued, and it reopened in the afternoon.

The climbers unfurl seven huge banners down the front columns of the British Museum, which carry the names of cities and regions struck by flooding and climate change disasters.

"We are taking a stand because of the irony of an oil company sponsoring an exhibition whose name practically spells out impacts of climate change," said Greenpeace.