Greece demands the return of artifacts after thefts at the British Museum.

** Questions arise about the security protocols of the British Museum, its handling of thefts, and how long the museum's leadership knew about what was happening before actions were taken.

Now Greece is renewing its demands for the return of the Marmara panels of the Parthenon. The British Museum is in the maelstrom of repercussions from the theft and sale of the pieces, after it was revealed that up to 2,000 valuable objects were stolen and sold online or otherwise damaged. In light of the scandal, Greek officials are renewing their demands for the return of the Marmara Parthenon panels.

The security issues raised by the missing objects "reinforce our country's constant and just demand for the final return" of the panels, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a recent interview with To Vima newspaper. "The loss, theft, and deterioration of objects from the museum's collection is an extremely serious and particularly sad event," Mendoni said.

She also explained that "the Ministry of Culture is closely monitoring the situation." In response, the chairman of the British Museum's Comprehensive Party Parliamentary Group accused Greece of "open hypocrisy", claiming that the institution is "not safe" following the thefts from the museum. Tim Lawton told BBC Radio 4's Today program that news of missing items from the museum's collection in London was "damaging" but that the institution "takes thefts seriously." The Conservative MP added: "For reassurance, people want to know the extent to which objects have gone missing, what investigations were underway when the various reports came in and what is being done now, because otherwise this is getting out of hand." "Particularly damaging is the open hypocrisy of the Greeks and others claiming: "Oh no, the British Museum is not safe...". It's extremely rare for something to go missing." Lawton also said the disappearance of objects is serious, but "this is not the Mona Lisa robbery."

Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, also said her colleagues were "worried" about how many Greek objects were missing. She told the BBC: "We want to say to the British Museum that they can no longer say that Greek cultural heritage is better protected in the British Museum. It is obviously very well protected in Greece, not in the British Museum."

The British Museum announced last week that it had sacked an employee following the discovery of valuable objects in its collection. The institution said it planned to take "legal action" against Peter John Higgs, a senior curator of Greek and Roman art who had worked at the museum for 30 years.

The British Museum, which owns the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marmara Panels, has repeatedly refused Greek demands to return the relics since they were removed from the Acropolis of Athens in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin. Nevertheless, the Greek campaign has gained momentum with international calls for cultural institutions to decolonize their collections. In March, the Vatican returned three fragments of the Parthenon temple that it had kept for centuries. In March this year, Sir Noel Malcolm, Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, said that "The Marmara panels are the royal gems of the British Museum, a national museum with a universal mission. We should be proud of our ability to show them to the world in London. There is nothing here to apologize for."

Additional sources: To Vima, The Daily Telegraph.