El Museo del Barrio apologises after hiring rooms for 9/11 conspiracy event

El Museo del Barrio in New York has apologised after renting space to a group that disputes the official explanation of the 11 September attacks.

The museum, in East Harlem, said it was sorry for the booking, according to ARTnews. The rental was first detailed by The New York Times.

The booking took place as New York marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The museum rented rooms to organisers described as sceptical of the established account of what happened in 2001. The arrangement was a commercial hire, not part of the museum's own programming.

Earlier reporting had named Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters as the planned headline speaker for a New York conference challenging the official account of 9/11, according to The New Arab. That conference is the event at the centre of the criticism.

Speakers at the event aired conspiracy theories about the attacks. Critics said a publicly supported cultural institution should not provide a venue for such claims. The backlash was swift.

The museum then issued its apology. It did not dispute that it had rented the space. It said it regretted hosting the event.

What makes this stand out is the line museums must draw with hires. Renting a hall can look like endorsement, even when it is not. For visitors, that distinction matters little once the posters are on the door.

El Museo del Barrio focuses on Latino, Latin American and Caribbean art. Its rooms are often hired out to outside groups for income. In this case, the timing sharpened the response, with the anniversary bringing families, survivors and city officials together in public remembrance.

No further details of the hire agreement have been made public. The museum has not said whether it will change its rental policy.