Greece accused of ‘blatant opportunism’ for suggesting British Museum is not safe

Greece has been campaigning for decades for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures

A senior Tory MP has accused Greece of “blatant opportunism” for suggesting the British Museum is not safe after items from its collection were stolen.

The London museum last week announced an unspecified number of artefacts were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged” and that a member of staff, who it did not name but was later identified as curator Peter Higgs, had been sacked and was facing legal action.

Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, has since said her colleagues were "worried" about the safety of Greek items at the museum.

She said: “We want to tell the British Museum that they cannot anymore say that Greek culture heritage is more protected in the British Museum.

"It is obvious that it is very well protected in Greece and not in the British Museum."

Greece has been campaigning for decades for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, which once adorned the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens but are now housed at the London institution.

Athens has long claimed they were illegally acquired during a period of foreign occupation, while British officials have rebuffed repeated demands for their return.

Responding to Ms Koutsoumba’s comments, Mr Loughton, chair of the British Museum All-Party Parliamentary Group and MP for East  Worthing and Shoreham, told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: ”What is particularly damaging is (the) blatant opportunism of the Greeks and others saying ‘Oh no, the British Museum is not safe...’

“It’s incredibly rare that things go missing."

Tim Loughton accused Greece of ‘blatant opportunism’ (PA Archive)

Mr Loughton accepted that news of the thefts was “damaging” and sought to reassure people that investigations were taking place at the musuem, which was taking the thefts “seriously”.

Christopher Marinello, a US-based lawyer and expert in recovering stolen art, also raised concerns about the safety of the museum.

"It makes one wonder whether the Parthenon Marbles are safe in the British Museum after all, and perhaps they should be returned to the museum in Athens for their security,” he said.

The museum has not specified how many items have been stolen or detailed what the missing items are, saying only that they were "small pieces" including "gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD".

The Times has reported that the thefts happened over at least two decades.

Mr Loughton was also asked about emails leaked to BBC News that claim the British Museum was alerted to the thefts in 2021 and ignored the report.

He said: "With respect, all that’s come out is a few emails rather than the bigger picture.

"But the British Museum will need to account for that because if people are trying to report potential objects having appeared outside of the museum then absolutely those need to be investigated and potentially referred to the police.

"So what action was taken? What checks and balances are there at the museum?

"Also putting into context... the British Museum has the most online documentation online in the world. There are over two million objects available online to see."

The British Museum said items from its collection were found to be ‘missing, stolen or damaged’ (PA Wire)

The Telegraph has reported that the number of stolen items is believed to be "well over 1,000" and "closer to 2,000", with a value running into "millions of pounds".

An independent review of security has been launched and the matter is also under investigation by the economic crime command of the Metropolitan Police. No arrests have been made.

The review will be led by former museum trustee Sir Nigel Boardman and Lucy D’Orsi, Chief Constable of British Transport Police.

Mr Loughton, a former education minister, is one of several MPs who sits on the British Museum APPG, which was established to strike up “a partnership between parliament and the British Museum, including work with local and regional museums, and an understanding of its role as a leading world museum.

Mr Higgs, 56, a curator of 30 years and head of the department of Greece and Rome, was dismissed last month after it was discovered that artefacts thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds had vanished from the vaults.

It is believed to have been the largest breach of security in a decade at the central London institution and tourist attraction.