What if Greeks Stole Big Ben to “Protect” It?

Four years ago, the Greek government ran a campaign on the return of the Parthenon sculptures from Great Britain entitled “Bring Them Back.” Part of the campaign was a video clip showing a fictitious robbery of the famous British monument, Big Ben, by Greeks. The video clip, which correlates the importance of the two monuments for the respective countries, has re-surfaced on YouTube after the issue of the Greek marbles has come to the fore again.

In the imaginary scenario, a Greek tycoon by the name of Elginiadis – a play on the name of Lord Elgin, the man who removed the sculptures from Acropolis – steals Big Ben from London in order to protect it from pollution in the English capital. The video clip features the famous Greek actor Spyros Fokas, Greek-French journalist Nikos Aliagas and TV presenter Elena Katritsi.

The British press is evidently annoyed that the video clip has become popular again. The video’s comments strongly favor the Greek position. Recent surveys show that, following the Amal Alamuddin-Clooney visit to Athens earlier this month, the majority of the British public seem to agree that the Parthenon Sculptures should be returned to Greece. Several British politicians also show a pro-Greek stance on the issue.