CRETE – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak caused a stir on Greek social media and in parliament after he canceled a meeting with his Greek counterpart at 11am and said the Elgin Marbles were “in the right place”.
Scottish nobleman Lord Elgin removed the Parthenon sculptures from the Acropolis in 1801 and are now in the British Museum.
Mr Sunak canceled Tuesday’s meeting after Mr Mitsotakis compared separating the carvings to cutting up an image. Mona Lisa In an interview with the BBC, his office said both sides had previously agreed it could not be used as a public platform “to re-discuss issues that have long been resolved.”
Sunak’s criticism of Kyriakos Mitsotakis angered Greeks, who argue that the appropriation of Elgin was illegal because the country was under Turkish occupation at the time.
“We were under foreign rule while we were ruled by the Ottoman Turks,” said Mixalis Spiridakis of Athens, who was visiting the British Museum at the time and walked out in protest when he heard the news.
“It’s like saying the Nazis had the right to keep items they stole from countries during World War II,” the 40-year-old doctor added.
Despite ongoing debate over the return of 17 marble sculptures that were part of a frieze that once adorned the 2,500-year-old Parthenon, Greece and Britain have traditionally maintained close ties.
King Charles III was born on the island of Corfu, the romantic poet Lord Byron gave his life for the Greek revolution and even Sir Winston Churchill was an admirer of the “heroic Greeks”.
The problem may seem minor in Britain, but for Greeks it is a matter of national pride, says Georgios Kaloutsakis, owner of a luxury resort on the island of Abaton.
“For Greece, these artifacts are not just historical treasures, but symbols of cultural identity,” said the Cretan businessman. I.
“At a time when countries are grappling with the legacy of their colonial past, the return of the Parthenon sculptures can be a powerful gesture of goodwill and respect. [our] cultural heritage.”
Amid growing condemnation of what is seen as British imperialism, and even rumors of a boycott of British products until the problem is resolved, Greek politicians unanimously condemned Mr Sunak’s criticism.
Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told Skai TV that Mr Sunak’s behavior was “disrespectful not only to the Greek Prime Minister, but also to the Greek people.”
Left-wing Syriza leader Stefanos Kasselakis, whose status as Greece’s first openly gay party leader has caused some unrest, said Mr Sunak’s decision to cancel the meeting was “unacceptable”.
“The matter of the Parthenon sculptures is an issue that goes beyond the confrontation between the respective Greek prime ministers and parties…” [it’s a] “I have a moral problem with the shameless theft of cultural property from its natural environment,” the SYRIZA leader said on Twitter.
The Greek Prime Minister did meet with the leader of the opposition Labor Party during his visit to London. Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will not object to an agreement between the British Museum and the Greek government to return the marbles.
According to a recent YouGov poll commissioned by the Parthenon Organization, an organization that promotes cultural cooperation between the two countries, 64 percent of Britons are in favor of a refund, while only 21 percent are against it.
Source: I News
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