Ninety five thousand Greek elementary school children have written letters to the British government asking for the Parthenon Marbles to be returned to Greece.

From:
Macedonian Press Agency

FRIDAY, 21 MAY 2004
GREEK STUDENTS CALL FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES
Thessaloniki, 20 May 2004 (16:02 UTC+2)

Hundreds of private school students and teachers gathered this morning outside the British embassy in Athens and the British consulate in Thessaloniki to deliver a total of 95,000 letters addressed to British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

The mainly elementary school students delivered the letters and both the British ambassador and the British Consul General pledged to bring the messages to the British Prime Minister.

A fourth grade student wrote in his letter, “Lord Elgin stole the marbles to decorate his house and destroyed one of the most beautiful monuments. I am certain that Britain has its own civilization and does not need to keep the Parthenon Marbles away from Greece.”

A fifth grade student wrote, “Can you imagine the Eiffel Tower in America, the Big Ben in Greece and the Statue of Liberty in Italy? The Parthenon Marbles have no place in Britain.”

The Association of Private School Founders undertook the initiative less than 3 months ago aimed at informing the elementary school children on the Olympic Games and the Parthenon Marbles. The student participation was overwhelming and today they delivered their letters hoping that the Parthenon Marbles will return to Greece.

The specific initiative also includes painting exhibitions, as well as trips to London for the students to see the Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum where they are being kept.