High school students from Crete and Corinth held peaceful protests in the British Museum demanding the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
The students opened Greek flags in front of the Parthenon sculptures and shouted the slogans and sang popular songs. They handed letters to the Musuem Director and conducted polls among the museum visitors about the Return of the Parthenon Marbles.
The students from Crete opened a Greek flag in front of the Caryatid, sat down and sang “Tzivaeri” (My Precious). A dirge about a stolen child brought to a foreign land.
“Alas, my precious, my fragrant flower now brings joy to a foreign land, gently, gently and quietly. Alack, ’twas I sent him away, my precious, no one made me, gently, gently, I tread the earth gently. I curse you foreign land, you and your prosperity, gently, gently and quietly. (lyrics via domnasamiou)
“Our eyes were filled with tears, awe and utter frustration,” teacher Angela Haristaki told local media.
Following the sit-in protest the students conducted a poll among the Museum visitors. The poll was a project called “Your Thoughts on Greece … for tourists in London”.
Among the questions was the one “whether they wanted the Parthenon Marbles back in Greece.” The response from all 100% was positive, Haristaki said.
Also the students from Corinth, Peloponnese, had carried Greek flags with them and opened them when they reached the hall hosting the Marbles. They shouted the slogan “Bring Them Back!”
They then handed over letters to the Director of the Museum expressing their demand to have the marbles back to Greece.
Last month, parents and pupils of a pre-school class from Thessaloniki staged an event in the hall with the stolen Parthenon Marbles of the British Museum.
According to the website greekteachers website, the event was in the context of actions during the Year of Melina Mercouri and the campaign for the Return of the Parthenon Marbles.
The Greek Culture Ministry declared 2020 as Melina Mercouri Year to mark 100 years from the birth of the actress, singer and twice Culture Minister who lead a dedicated campaign for the return of the Marbles.
In most countries of the world this kind of misbehaviour inside a public museum would not be tolerated.
The British Museum is now a private museum — thanks to successive right wing governments of the UK that removed everything from public ownership. Therefore, it is up to the museum management to decide whether to call in the police (and have a Greek revolution outside in the street for the next year) or simply to tolerate the demonstration inside. Wisely, they chose the latter.
The British Museum remains as ever a nationally owned public institution aided by annual government grant (currently well over £50,000,000 per year). Entrance is free to all comers – so kids, behave only moderately badly under the tutelage of your overseers, and you won’t get charged.