Acropolis of Athens

Britain should join a pan-European effort to return the Parthenon Sculptures back to Greece, David Frost, a former British diplomat and Brexit negotiator has said.

David Frost also told the House of Lords in London that the UK should make a grand gesture to create closer diplomatic and cultural relations between the two countries.

Police remanded 47 people for questioning on Wednesday during pre-emptive searches in downtown Athens, amid concerns of violence breaking out at marches commemorating 15 years since the police shooting of teen Alexis Grigoropoulos.

"These were legally acquired at the time." Of all the sound bites heard during this week's furor on the Parthenon Sculptures, that one (attributed to a spokesman for Rishi Sunak) is among the most depressing.

There are several ways to respond.

The Acropolis Museum launched an exhibition Tuesday that includes a renowned ancient Greek water jug from 420 BC on loan from the British Museum.

The exhibit comes during a dispute over Greek demands for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures that are housed in the British Museum.

Angelos Chaniotis, professor of ancient history and classics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, delivered a very topical lecture at the nonprofit educational institution College Year in Athens (CYA) titled "Divided Monument, Dividing Monument: The Controversy over the Parthenon Sculptures" on Wednesday.

The resurgence of the debate surrounding the Parthenon Sculptures carries with it intricate symbolism. The intersection of the 19th and 21st centuries on matters of identity and emotional connection is perhaps the most intriguing, if not the most widely publicized.

Commenting on recent developments surrounding the Parthenon Sculptures, Stephen Fry, the acclaimed British actor and member of the Parthenon Project's Advisory Board, said the following:

A hologram of politician and museum patron Lambros Eutaxias (1905-1996) greets visitors at the Museum of the City of Athens in downtown Klafthmonos Square.

For decades, Britain and Greece were able to differ, largely politely, over the world's toughest cultural heritage dispute: What's the right place for some of the finest ancient Greek sculptures ever made, which have been displayed in London for more than 200 years but which Greece vocally wants back.

Claiming the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum is too serious a historical undertaking to be affected by momentary political flare-ups. 

Greece should not be drawn into Britain's domestic electoral games. On the contrary, it must insist on the direction of a logical and feasible formula that will allow the reunification of the monument.