Academic BANNED from Greek museum for backing Britain in Elgin Marbles debate

An academic has been banned from an Athens museum for backing Britain's claim to the Elgin Marbles.

Dr Mario Trabucco della Torretta, an archaeologist, was scheduled to make a presentation during at the Acropolic Museum in Athens.

But his appearance at the museum was vetoed after it had learned he had been scheduled to speak at a conference of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Dr Trabucco and the British Museum have confirmed the 2,500-year-old marbles were legally bought in the 19th century.

But the Greek Government has long claimed the ancient statues were looted by Lord Elgin.

Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis, the director of the Acropolis Museum, shares the position the Marbles were stolen, and has been a leading advocate for their return.

Dr Trabucco said he was blocked from speaking at the conference after being considered "persona non grata" by the museum.

He told The Telegraph: "The behaviour displayed by the Acropolis Museum’s board is unworthy of the world-class research institution it claims to be, and degrades the museum to a propaganda establishment that shuts down debate and quells dissent.

"In the city that prides itself on being the birthplace of democracy, one would expect higher standards."

Speakers at the RICS event were screened in April during the event's planning phase - and the institute was told Dr Trabucco was an "unacceptable" speaker.

He had recently appeared in a documentary about the Marbles produced by CGTN, a Chinese broadcaster.

In it, both Prof Stampolidis and Dr Trabucco pushed the case for and against a return, respectively.

READ MORE ON THE ELGIN MARBLES:

• Greek PM arrives at No10 as Starmer insists return of Elgin Marbles is 'not on the agenda'
• Athens is the right place for the Elgin Marbles - Nigel Nelson
• Exposed: Tony Blair's secret bid to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece

Displays within the Acropolis Museum point guests to the lack of the artworks removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin.

Discussions have been held about the future of the Marbles, with British Museum chairman George Osborne holding three meetings with the Greek Government in 2024.

The Greeks have refused to sign an agreement which would accept the British Museum legally owns the relics in order to secure a loan.

Loan deals have been struck to return artefacts to their home countries, such as the British Museum's return of Ghanaian gold and a collection of Greek and Egyptian treasures to a leading Indian museum.

Elsewhere in Britain, the Brighton and Hove Museums have also pledged to give "back" legally purchased historic jewellery and accessories to Botswana in order to "give them meaning".

And more recently, the Wellcome Collection returned 2,000 documents of "spiritual significance" to Jainism, which again were legally bought.

Lord Elgin was challenged on the removal of the sculptures from the Parthenon by contemporaries, including Lord Byron.

In 1816, a British Parliamentary inquiry confirmed the Elgin Marbles had been legally purchased, but in 2021 Unesco called on the Government to to resolve the issue.