London Mayor Sadiq Khan says UK and Greece should share Parthenon marbles
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has said that he thinks the UK and Greece should share the Parthenon marbles, the fifth-century-BC sculptures which have been on display at the British Museum since 1817.
Khan believes that the marbles should be split between their current home in London and their place of origin in Athens, Greece, after years of debate as to where they should be housed.
In a new interview with the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, Khan said, “I obviously want Londoners to be able to see the Elgin [Parthenon] Marbles, but I don’t see why the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the museum in Athens can’t come to an accommodation to share these wonderful, wonderful Elgin Marbles.”
“I’d really encourage the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the Acropolis Museum in Athens to talk about how we can make more progress on this very issue,” the mayor added.
Khan then expressed his wish to move forward with the issue rather than letting it go around in circles as it has done for several years. “I think it’s important to have these discussions,” he said, “in terms of the Elgin Marbles, there’s a discussion to share some of this stuff.”
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had also made a statement on the issue, saying, “The UK has cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations. The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change it.”
This prompted the Greek PM to respond, “We will never recognise that these sculptures are owned, legally owned by the British Museum… But again, we have to be constructive, and we have to be innovative if a solution is to be found.”
