Johnson rejects call for return of Parthenon Marbles

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed Greece’s call for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to the country, arguing that the 2,500-year-old cultural treasures are “legally owned by the British Museum’s Trustees.”

“I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on the issue,” Johnson said in his first public comments on the issue since becoming prime minister in an interview with the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea.

“But the UK government has a firm longstanding position on the sculptures which is that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s Trustees since their acquisition,” he added.