More than half of Britons support the permanent return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens, according to a new YouGov poll reported by The Times on Saturday.

Support rises even further when their return is linked to a broader cultural partnership between Greece and the United Kingdom.

When asked whether the Parthenon Sculptures should remain at the British Museum in London or be returned to the Acropolis Museum in Greece, 52% of respondents favoured their return, while just 20% supported their remaining in London.

When respondents were asked about a broader cultural partnership between Britain and Greece, under which the Parthenon Sculptures (also known as the Elgin Marbles) would be returned to Athens and British museums could host major Greek archaeological artefacts and exhibitions on loan, including objects never previously displayed outside Greece, 58% supported such an agreement, while just 9% opposed it.

The poll shows that only one in five Britons now believes that the sculptures, created some 2,500 years ago to adorn the Parthenon, should remain at the British Museum.

The newspaper also notes that an agreement on the permanent reunification of the sculptures at the Acropolis Museum would be accompanied by loans of significant Greek antiquities to British museums. Among these, according to the report, is the famous Mask of Agamemnon.

The poll was conducted in mid-October among approximately 2,500 adults on behalf of the Parthenon Project, an organisation campaigning for the return of the sculptures to Athens.

The new poll comes as efforts to reach an agreement continue. It also highlights the gap between British public opinion and the constraints that continue to prevent the permanent return of the sculptures to Greece.

[AMNA]

Source: Ekathimerini.com