Students stage a peaceful protest at the British Museum, 03 May 2009

British Museum, Sunday 03 May 2009

Forty five secondary school students and five teachers from the 2nd General Lyceum in Argostoli (Kefalonia), visited London in order to stage a peaceful protest for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens. This protest was supported by Marbles Reunited Friends of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. The day before the protest the students met with Mrs Cubiitt who was able to tell them how the movement in the UK was started in 1983 and she praised the students for their protest in the year that would also herald the opining of the Acropolis Museum. The students showed Mrs Cubitt their poems and songs, which she found inspirational.

The Parthenon Sculptures, removed from the Parthenon in Athens between 1801-1812, were subsequently bought by the British Government in 1816 and placed in the British Museum’s Duveen Gallery, where they have remained.

The first recorded request for their return was made by Greece in 1833. The British Museum has long argued why these sculptures should remain in London. One such argument was that Greece had nowhere to display the sculptures.

The New Acropolis Museum (www.newacropolismuseum.gr), designed by Swiss architect, Bernard Tschumi at a cost of around 130 million Euros, officially opened on 20 June 2009. It holds around 4,000 artefacts and has an exhibition space of 14,000 square metres.

At present the British Museum’s policy remains the same, that the Parthenon Marbles the largest collection of Parthenon sculptures outside of Greece, will remain in London. Greece has however received fragments from Heidelberg, Palermo and the Vatican.

Yannis Kosmatos from the Second Lyceum of Argostoli, Kefalonia commented “Our primary goal has been to sensitise students and the community, as well as voice our protest against the displacement of the marbles. We have divided the students into two groups, one considering the art, history and literary references to the marbles, the other the various efforts made to bring back the monuments.

“The protest we staged at the British Museum on Sunday 03 May, 2009 was heartfelt with some students holding banners, others playing Greek music while some performed traditional Greek dances. These unique sculptures were created to tell a story and they are best displayed together in Athens. We hope that the Director of the British Museum will see the merit of rejoining what has been divided unjustly for two centuries. ”