The editor of the Sunday Times, Sarah Baxter, is in favor of the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece in an opinion article.
He even called on the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, "to return the sculptures to Athens because they belong there", which would be "a great gesture of friendship and solidarity".
He describes the new Acropolis Museum as "wonderful", and "much more beautiful than the windowless space dedicated to the sculptures in the British Museum".
He also expresses admiration for the result of the restoration work of the Sculptures that the Acropolis Museum has in its possession.
He then refers to the history of the Sculptures as follows: "There is no doubt, in my opinion, that it was vandalism. The Sculptures almost survived the ravages of time, the wars and the explosion of a weapons depot, when Elgin appeared in Athens in the early 19th century as ambassador to the High Gate to the Ottoman conquerors.
Once he had obtained the necessary "permission" to remove objects from the ruins around the Parthenon (the original document was never found, although there is a "translation"), he sent workers up stairs to break - with a blunt tool - the Sculptures that are now in the British Museum.
Even then, the alleged act of rescue was considered by some, such as Lord Byron, a crime.
Elgin almost lost the marble boxes when his ship sank on the voyage to Malta and they had to be rescued from the bottom of the Mediterranean. Not only that, he wanted to decorate his ancestral home, the Broomhall House, for his own glory, but he was forced to sell them to the state when he ran out of money (the house still has pieces the British Museum did not want Damn it)."
The article closes by stating that Elgin had also thought of removing the Mycenaean Lions Gate, but it was too heavy to carry.
The author of the article believes that with the return of the Sculptures, Great Britain will benefit from borrowing important antiquities from Greece for periodic exhibitions on a stable basis of cooperation and once again calls on the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to show his love for the ancient world doing the right thing.
Source: RES-EAP