London, Thanasis Gavos
Reportage from Athens and London on the subject of the request for their reunification Sculptures of the Parthenon hosted on Tuesday night the show ‘On Assignment’ of the British channel ITV.
The channel’s journalist visited the Sacred Rock, the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum and presented the arguments from both sides.
The famous actor Steven Fryone of the most ardent British supporters of reunification, commented that “this is not a matter of political correctness or anything else of a boring nature, but a matter of natural justice and honor.”
He added that in the 1970s he would have asked not to return the Sculptures, when Greece was under a fascist dictatorship, but now, he noted, Greece is a prosperous democracy and even has one of the most beautiful museums in Europe, in the place of creation of Sculptures.
He commented that the arguments of the British Museum have no basis. “Imagine if the Americans had bought him Eiffel Tower by the Germans in 1941 and after the liberation of France they said that we bought them fairly and they are ours. “And the Parthenon is more important to Athens than the Eiffel Tower to Paris,” Fry said.
The same arguments were put forward by the British actor a few days ago at the Hay Literary Festival, adding that the return of the Sculptures from Britain would be a move that shows “class”, a word that, as he commented, does not finally distinguish British actions.
He also spoke on the ITV show George Papandreou, who pointed out the uniqueness of the case of the Sculptures as part of a single monument that has been dismembered. “Let us restore them,” said the former prime minister.
Edith Hall, a professor of classical studies and ancient history at Durham University and a member of the British Commission for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, also stood out in the monument.
“Most people around the world just do not understand the (British) Museum’s arguments. “They sound outdated, as if they belong to the 19th and not to the 21st century,” he initially remarked.
He added that the argument that the return of the Sculptures would mean the opening of the doors and the departure of many other exhibits from museums is unfounded, because “this is a completely unique case and the Greek government does not ask for anything else – it is just its most important symbol of Greek culture “.
On the other hand, Jonathan Williams, deputy director of the British Museum, reiterated some of the London Foundation’s well-established arguments.
“There will be no magical moment to reunite the Sculptures,” he said, as “half of them have been destroyed” before even Elgin.
He added that the Museum considers that the Sculptures in Athens are valued in the general context of Athenian and Greek culture and respectively the Sculptures in London in the context of world history and culture.
Mr. Williams reiterated that the commissioners of the Museum are open to applications for borrowing of the Sculptures, of course understanding that those who will borrow them accept that they are the property of the Museum.
When asked by the journalist where the Sculptures will be in 50 years, Mr. Williams answered that for him they will be clearly in the British Museum, except for those who may be in exhibitions abroad.
“If you ask if the Sculptures will go back to Athens, to me it is clear that the British Museum wants these objects and needs these objects, people need these objects to stay here in London, to tell the story that only these can be narrated here, in the context of this world collection “, said the deputy director of the British Museum.
The ITV envoy to Athens noted in his report that Elgin was not limited to collecting fragments that had fallen to the ground, but chose to remove sculptural decoration from the monument, also stressing that the Greeks questioned the legitimacy of his actions.
The report also referred to the campaign started by Melina Mercouri and the “maintenance of pressure” by Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In fact, the excerpt of the Greek Prime Minister’s reference to Elgin was shown during his recent speech to the Congress.
Emphasis was also placed on the return to Athens of the Fagan fragment from Sicily, while reference was also made to the possibility of a solution through the creation of faithful marble replicas in London.
“History tells us that even the most stable views over time can soften, that constant pressure can pay off the strongest defenses and that pressure from the Greeks shows no signs of relaxation,” the British journalist concluded. .
It is noted that the issue of Sculptures has occupied the British press this week as well. Observer columnist Kathryn Bennett argued in favor of reunification, while historian Zarir Masani told the Telegraph that Elgin “bought (the Sculptures) and paid for them legally and exported them to Britain with permission from the then Ottoman authorities in Greece.” “, Adding that in this way he” saved “them.
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