Activists from the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM) demonstrated in front of and inside the British Museum in London on Saturday.

The demonstration took place ahead of the 15th anniversary of the opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, to emphasize where the protesters believe that the sculptures, whose ownership is disputed between the UK and Greece, should be showcased.

Among the protesters were best-selling British author, philhellene Victoria Hislop, BCRPM’s Chair Janet Suzman, as well as musicians Stuart O’Hara and George Gabriel, also BCRPM members, supported by both the UK and Greek communities.

The Greek state has long advocated the reunification of the sculptures of the Parthenon frieze under one roof, in their homeland, Greece, as currently 50 meters of the relief are exhibited at the Acropolis museum in Athens, and another 75 meters (247 feet) at the British Museum in London.

“The division of this peerless collection of sculptures does nothing more than blot the great relationship that Greece and UK have shared for many, many decades,” the organisation posted on Facebook, urging voters at the UK General Election in July to push for the reunification of the pieces of the ancient masterpiece in Athens.

Turkey erodes UK’s Legal Claim For the Parthenon Marbles

The Greek demand for the repatriation of the Parthernon sculptures that were taken from Ottoman-occupied 19th century Athens to London by British diplomat Lord Elgin, found an unexpected ally in early June, when Turkey’s representative at UNESCO denied the existence of a valid document for the export, as claimed by the UK.

Speaking at the 24th Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Return of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin (ICPRCP), Zeynep Boz, Head of the Anti-Smuggling Department in Turkey, stated: “It is not to our knowledge the existence of a document that legitimizes the purchase [of the artifacts].”

“Time has come to tell the story of how these sculptures were removed and to acknowledge that, with no official, imperial permission granted by the then rulers, the Ottomans, in the early 19th century, today as an independent nation, Greece is correct in asking for these sculptures to be reunited with their other halves in Athens,” the BCRPM stated on Saturday.

BCRPM left a personal letter to the new director of the British Museum, Nicholas Cullinan, to congratulate him on his appointment, express their gratitude for the talks that have taken place so far between UK and Greek officials, and to request a meeting with him to discuss the fate of the Marbles and how the organisation can assist in exploring ways for the reunification.

The organisation will be adding a template letter to its website in the following days, which UK voters can use to write to each party’s MP in their own constituency ahead of the UK General Election on July 4 and raise the matter for the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures.