The British have a long history of stealing/saving (depending on your perspective) historical monuments from other cultures. The Elgin Marbles are a case in point.
However, I think we can all agree that we reached a new high of historical preservation/theft with the acquisition in 2003 of the buttocks from the iconic statue of Saddam Hussein by a (now former) SAS soldier, which he wants to auction to raise funds for wounded UK soldiers.
But now apparently the Iraqi government has demanded its return, claiming that the former dictator’s shiny metal ass is…wait for it…“a cultural antiquity”.
I have no doubt that in some ways it’s a very serious issue with lots of valid argumentation on both sides…but sometimes you really do just have to laugh!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, it is certainly true, if current events are anything to go by, that the Greeks have lost their marbles. But is the UK really in any position (with defence rendundancies and planes that can’t land making headlines) to make sure that Iraq has their ass handed to them?
With the U.K. police now involved in this case, surely we can now say with some legitimacy that ‘the Law’s an ass’ ?