Cretan high school students from the town of Gouves protested the British Museum’s refusal to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece in a unique way during their February visit to London.
Sitting in the hall where the caryatid statue is located, they held a Greek flag and sang Tzivaeri (My Treasure), a Greek traditional folk song about the pain of immigration for those who remain behind.
The teacher and students also conducted a survey in London titled, “Your Thoughts on Greece”. They asked tourists whether they believed that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece. Teacher Anna Haristakis said that 100 per cent of the students said that they did, and the results were handed to the management of the British Museum.
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“I can tell you that 100% of the tourists said yes, they want to see the Sculptures returned to Greece and we handed over the results with a letter to the British Museum,” said Mrs. Haristakis.
The Parthenon Marbles were removed from Athens and shipped to England by arrangement of Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin, who was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1799–1803) at the time.
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