British activist Georgie Robertson has called for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece after attending a gala at the British Museum wearing a red dress and a large sash bearing the message “Return the Marbles”.
In an Instagram post featuring photographs from the event, Robertson described the museum’s possession of disputed artefacts as “one of the most enduring scandals”, arguing that it is not the rightful owner of many objects in its collection.
“Many were looted and many others forcibly taken by colonial conquerors,” she wrote.
Activist says security tried to remove protest message
Robertson claimed that security staff tried to make her remove the message from her outfit and attempted to prevent it from being photographed.
She said she refused to take it off, accusing staff of trying to silence the debate surrounding the museum’s collection.
“The Parthenon Marbles belong together — they must be reunited at the Acropolis Museum in Athens,” Robertson wrote.
She argued that the UK’s national museum should reflect contemporary values rather than perpetuate a legacy of colonial violence and looting.
Robertson also criticised the museum for accepting sponsorship from energy company BP, accusing the company of profiting from the suffering of Palestinians and environmental destruction.
Mick Jagger pictured at the event
Robertson’s photographs also featured Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, whom she suggested appeared to enjoy her protest.
Another image showed her in a confrontation with George Osborne, the British Museum’s chair, whom she said was less amused by the demonstration.
Her mother, Australian author Kathy Lette, also voiced support for the protest in a separate social media post.
Lette described her daughter’s demonstration in favour of reuniting the Parthenon Marbles as a moment that appeared to entertain Jagger, adding that the sculptures belonged together in the Acropolis Museum.
She criticised those who opposed their return to Greece.
Long-running dispute over the Parthenon Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles are a collection of ancient Greek sculptures and architectural fragments removed from the Parthenon in Athens in the early 19th century by agents of Lord Elgin, then Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Most of the collection is held by the British Museum, while other surviving sculptures remain in Athens. Greece has long campaigned for the return of the pieces in London and their reunification at the Acropolis Museum.
The British Museum has maintained that it acquired the sculptures legally, while Greece argues that they should be returned as part of the country’s cultural heritage.
Robertson’s protest brought the dispute into the spotlight at a high-profile museum event, renewing calls for the sculptures to be reunited in Athens.
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