‘F**k You, B*stard!’: Elgin Marble Diplomatic Fallout Continues As Greek Newspaper Rips Rishi Sunak

Elgin marbles also known as the Parthenon marbles, at the British Museum, London following a diplomatic row between UK and Greece. The marbles are a collection of Ancient Greek sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens and were removed from the Parthenon in the early 19th century by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and then-British ambassador to the Ottoman empire. Greece has requested that they would like to see the sculptures returned to Greece. (Photo by Steve Taylor / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

A right-wing Greek newspaper launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after his abrupt cancellation of talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Sunak snubbed Mitsotakis just hours before the pre-planned meeting after the Greek Prime Minister raised the repatriation of ancient historic artefacts .

The newspaper Free Hour, in the audacious and confrontational style for which it is known, expressed its stark disapproval with a provocative and explicit headline, directly targeting Sunak.

Sunak got a front page spread with the headline reading in English, for the benefit of the British government: “Fuck you, bastard!”

The move by Sunak clearly caused anger and upset, not just among the Greek delegation but among the Greek population.

The Greeks have long demanded that Britain return the ancient Elgin Marbles sculptures to Greece, arguing that they were unlawfully removed during the period of Ottoman Empire’s rule over Greece and should be brought back for exhibition in Athens.

However, the British maintain that they legally acquired the statues from the Ottomans before Greece achieved independence and that returning them would establish a precedent for museums worldwide.

Throughout the week, Sunak’s decision and the diplomatic fallout it has caused has received backlash, with opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer blasting him in parliament as “the man with the reverse Midas touch.”