Greek archeologist Despina Kutsumba joins supporters from the Greece Solidarity Campaign to protest at the continued illegal possession of the Elgin Marbles by the British Museum
Greek archeologist protests at British looting and austerity
There is something to be said for keeping the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum for the time keeping. Organized gangs of artifact thieves have used the chaos in Iraq, Egypt and Libya to steal to order, rare and substantial material from the respective national museums. I’m keeping a lookout for similar events in Syria.
Athens has a magnificent new museum ready to house the marbles.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/19/arts/20090620-acropolis-slideshow_index.html
I don’t think the Greeks need to be told that their cultural treasures are in safer hands kept in London. Maybe a more appropriate response to the global issue of artifact theft and trafficking would be to put some of New York’s art and antiquity dealers on a no-fly list and regulate trade much more stringently.