------------------------------------------------------------------------
| THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES GOPHER NEWS SERVICE |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 2021
(VIDEO) Canadian Parliament rejects motion to return Parthenon marbles
(GIF) article photo
Parthenon Elgin Marbles at British Museum. Photo by TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0
The motion was introduced by Greek Canadian MP Niki Ashton and supported
by MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos, MP Peter Frangiskatos and MP Annie
Koutrakis. It received support from Liberal, Bloc Québécois, New
Democratic and Green Party MP’s but did not receive the unanimous
support required to pass.
“Today we sent a clear message from Canada congratulating Greece on the
200th anniversary of independence and calling for the return of the
Parthenon Marbles.”said Niki Ashton.
The introduction of the resolution was welcomed by the President of
the Canadian Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles
Steve Ashton. “The Greeks have given much to the world. It is time
to give something back. Let’s return the Parthenon Marbles to
Greece where they belong.
Niki Ashton said that the fight to have the Parthenon Marbles returned
to Greece will continue. “I am disappointed the resolution did not pass
today. But we are on the right side of history and we will prevail.”
“I fully support the motion calling for the Marbles to be returned
to their rightful place and I will move a similar motion in the
Senate of Canada at the first opportunity to do so.” -
Conservative Senator Leo Housakos
“I am disappointed that the motion did not get unanimous consent in the
House of Commons. It took Greece 400 years to regain its independence
and if it takes another few attempts, we will continue the struggle.
The United Kingdom should respect the historical and cultural
significance to Greece, our common ally and close friend, and negotiate
the return of the marbles to their rightful owners, the people of
Greece.” - MP Annie Koutrakis
“What a perfect occasion the Bicentennial is for the Parthenon Marbles
to be returned to Athens, where they belong. Being taken from the
Parthenon in 1801-1802, when Greece was under Ottoman occupation, this
year presents a symbolic opportunity to return such a significant part
of Greek history to its rightful place. In a joint effort, we ask that
the United Kingdom and the British Museum in London do the right thing
and recognize that these historical artifacts belong to and should be
returned to the people of Greece.” - MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos
“The Parthenon Marbles are an essential part of Greece’s ancient and
cultural history. We come together to ask that they be returned, an
outcome that has long been called for by Greek citizens and the wider
diaspora.”- MP Peter Fragiskatos
> Today I introduced a motion in Parliament for the return of the
Parthenon Marbles in celebration of 200 years of Greek Independence. > >
4 parties supported it. Not the Conservatives. > > The struggle isn’t
over. Like the Greeks of 1821, we won’t let up. We will prevail.
[#200χρονια][621] [pic.twitter.com/NRXZk3zTuF][622] > > -- Niki Ashton
(@nikiashton) [March 24, 2021][623]
The motion presented to the House of Commons is transcribed below.
That, given that,
(i) Greece is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its
Declaration of Independence in 1821,
(ii) Greece and the Greeks have contributed so much to the world,
(iii) the Parthenon Marbles are a universal symbol of
Hellenic and World civilization,
(iv) this House passed a resolution, M-318, in the 37th Parliament,
supporting the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece,
the House join in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Greek
independence, and urge the government to call upon the United Kingdom to
return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece in order to be restored in their
authentic context, as the Marbles represent a unique and integral part
of world heritage and should be returned to their country of origin in
this year of the bicentennial celebration of Greek Independence.
[621]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/200%CF%87%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%
B9%CE%B1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw [622]:
https://t.co/NRXZk3zTuF [623]: https://twitter.com/nikiashton/stat
us/1374831084496584706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(DIR) [Back to Headlines]
(DIR) [Article Archive]
(DIR) [Home]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web: https://www.greektimes.ca
BBS: telnet://bbs.greektimes.ca
Gopher: gopher://gopher.greektimes.ca
Gemini: gemini://gemini.greektimes.ca
Web 1.0 for retro computers: http://retro.greektimes.ca
Community news via Finger: finger news@finger.greektimes.ca
Weather briefing via Finger: finger weather@finger.greektimes.ca
Onion: http://pdfjsjif5kr3ppaxzgukdtkqsfqvku3rzpumbyfa5oaw65iyuzhip3ad.onion