Young refugees visit the Parthenon and the Acropolis museum

May 10, 2016
Written by E.Tsiliopoulos

"We want Europe to find again the comparative values of democracy, the tolerance and the acceptance of the individual without discriminations of sexual or religious orientation," Culture Minister Aristidis Baltas stated on Monday while receiving approximately 100 refugees, mostly young Syrians and Afghans, hosted at the reception centers at Eleonas and Schisto, to the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens.

Baltas said that this visit is special because "the Greeks want to show that the hospitality between the peoples is not only material but also moral and historic".
He particularly linked Syria and the destruction of Palmyra with the antiquity smuggling that followed in order to underline the significance of the monuments' integrity. "Neither the Parthenon is an integral monument from this point of view," he said stressing the importance of the international mobilisation for the repatriation of the Parthenon marbles.
After their visit to the Acropolis, the young refugees and the Greek Culture Minister were toured to the Acropolis museum.

The event was held with the cooperation of the UNHCR and the cultural organisation Flux Laboratory.

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