Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Andrew George (Liberal Democrat), on Monday, 9 March 2015, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 20 members in total.

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MEDIATION WITH UNESCO FOR THE REPATRIATION OF THE PARTHENON SCULPTURES

That this House is aware that half of the Parthenon sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin 210 years ago using a flimsy legal justification during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, remain on display in the British Museum; notes that, when presented with the facts, the British public favours the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in Athens; further notes an opinion poll conducted by YouGov in October 2014 which shows only 23 per cent of the British public think they should stay in Britain; is further aware that the British Museum has abandoned most of its conventional arguments and now advances the novel concept of a universal museum; regrets the Government's apparent decision to reject the offer from UNESCO to mediate with the Greek government; and calls on the Government to reverse this decision and to demonstrate that Britain is prepared to express its standing in the world by engaging in a gracious act to reunite these British-held Parthenon sculptures with those now displayed in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in the shadow of the monument to which they belong, the Parthenon in Athens.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

852 

Session

2014-15

Other sponsors

Jeremy Corbyn

Hywel Williams

Adrian Sanders

Mary Glindon

Jeremy Lefroy

Subjects

Cultural heritage Artworks Museums and galleries Western Europe

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk